


Questions Without Answers

by FallinApart



Series: Questions Without Answers [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Gotham (TV)
Genre: Crime Solving, F/M, Gotham, detective team, underdogs being badass, unusual pair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-07
Updated: 2015-10-25
Packaged: 2018-02-20 05:55:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 57,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2417453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallinApart/pseuds/FallinApart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a city where solving crimes is not the highest priority of the police force, what will happen when a curious intern and an even more curious forensic scientist are frequently left behind at Gotham PD with an abundance of case files and bad bookkeeping? An unusual relationship that defies definition ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

_When one does not know what it is, then it is something; but when one knows what it is, then it is nothing._

 

The soft pattering of raindrops on the windowpane made for the perfect atmosphere for sleeping, the girl thought drowsily, burrowing her face further into her pillow, and clutching her blankets more tightly around her form. She groaned pleasantly as she rolled over to check just how much time left until her alarm clock was to wake her.

                “ _Shit,”_ she gasped, haphazardly throwing the blankets off of her and staring at her clock in disbelief as it read _8:39._ She hit it to check what it had been set for.

                _7:30…..PM_

                “Lord, have mercy,” she muttered, leaping out of her bed and tripping over a sweatshirt on the ground. She snatched her toothbrush and simultaneously began aggressively brushing her teeth and hopping on one foot to get her dress pants on. Her elbow wacked into the towel rack by the sink, and she cursed under her breath, her toothbrush falling back into its cup with a light _ding_.

 

                She had to be at the Gotham P.D. at 9, and she barely had enough time to catch a bus. She snatched her collared blouse from the rack and fumbled with the buttons until she looked vaguely presentable. Her hair fell into a messy halo of tangled dirty blond curls around her face and she sighed, stuffing it all into what she hoped would seem like a fashionable messy bun, but truly it was all she could salvage.

 

                “Great first impression, Bree…. _really_ nailed this one,” she muttered to herself, throwing on makeup beneath and round her stupidly large hazel eyes to hide her late night of Netflix and homework. _Warpaint, check._

 

She stuffed all her necessities in a bag and sprinted out the door of her mediocre-grade apartment. It really wasn’t so bad, she supposed, considering they gave Gotham University students discount rates for their housing. She was desperate for any kind of discount, considering graduate school was anything but cheap. On top of that, this internship wasn’t looking so great for pay either.

 

                _At least I’m getting paid at all._ She mused, sitting on the bus and staring out the window at all the commuters rushing to their respective jobs. She anxiously wrung out her hands in her lap.

 

                When her stop finally came, she flew out the door and swiftly darted down the walkway. The constant drizzle of rain shot a chill through her, and she hugged her dark jacket closer to her frame. She glanced at her watch as she ran up the steps of GPD and pushed through the doors.

                _9:05_.

                Not bad, all things considering, but not great. Her heart was still racing, but she allowed a façade of calmness to take over as she approached one of the front desks.

                It was difficult not to be overwhelmed in the large, but busy station. A steady hum of conversation filled the main room.

                “Excuse me,” she said, resting her palm on the large wooden front desk. The woman at the desk with short dark hair didn’t even bother looking up. Bree bit her lip and continued.

                “Hi, my name is Brianna Taylor. I have an internship here….I was told to report here at nine,” the woman still didn’t even look up, but she flipped a page in a book she was reading.

                “It’s my first day….do you—“

                “Report to Captain Essen. She’ll be in the third office to your right,” the dark haired woman spoke up.

                “Thanks,” Bree said, her eyes flickering to the row of offices. She took a deep breath, turning on her heel and stepping out into the marble walkway. She glanced back while stepping around the desk and collided into something with a big _oophff._

“Careful!” a voice chimed from slightly above her, and she realized that she had run into someone, her head running smack into their chest.

                “I’m so sorry!” she yelped, turning to face him with wide eyes. “I wasn’t really paying attention where I was walking,” she admitted with an apologetic smile. She glanced over and met this dark eyes and tight smile.

                “It’s quite fine, just wouldn’t want to drop _this_ ,” he said, flourishing a small bag labeled _EVIDENCE_.

                “Oh….yeah, that looks important,” she said with a small smile, trying to shuffle around him, but he just stood still, smiling politely.

                “Ed! Show us what you got!” a gruff voice rang out from across the room. The tall man in the suit snapped out of his stationary position and hurried over to where two men were standing, talking.

                Bree chuckled quietly to herself at the awkwardness of the entire morning as she knocked on the Captain’s door.

                The woman looked up, and motioned her in.

                Bree walked in and smiled politely at her, extending her hand.

                “Hello, I’m Bria—“

                “Brianna Taylor, yes, I am aware. Please, have a seat,” the woman shook her hand and gestured to the chair.

                “My name is Captain Essen. So I hear you’re a grad student from GU, correct?”

                “Yes, ma’am,” Bree nodded, hands folded nervously in her lap, “criminology and psychology.”

                Essen smiled, “Very good, well I do have to say, Ms. Taylor, you won’t be seeing much of the action here. You will do mostly filing paperwork and running errands that most of us are too busy to do.”

                Bree groaned inwardly, but nodded politely, seeing as she had expected as much.

 

                “Now, you are likely to float around the department at times, but we do have a few officers and detectives who are worse at the paperwork aspect of their jobs than usual, so you will be assisting them the most. I’d like you to sort a few of these potential witness accounts today. There should be an open desk up the stairs to the far left, by the forensics lab, but feel free to work at any open space. I’d like to get these done by the afternoon. Are you good?”

 

                She nodded her head.

 

                “Very well, good luck,” Essen said, handing her a daunting stack of papers. Bree smiled half-heartedly and grabbed the door with her foot.

 

                “Here we go…” she muttered into the tall stack of papers, making her way to the rumored desk up the stairs. Sure enough, she found it. It was a rickety wooden thing, stuffed in the far corner next to a small window, but at least she had a half-dead fern to keep her company.

                She hummed quietly to herself as she flicked through the papers, considering listening to her ipod, but liking the prospect of people watching more. She was drawn from her thoughts by movement in the corner of her eye. She glanced over and realized the odd man in the suit from before was coming out of the nearest doorway to her desk.

 

                _The forensics lab._ She observed, _well that makes a lot more sense._

 

                She noticed his eyes flicker towards her, and she quickly looked away, despite knowing it was too late. He had definitely seen her staring. She pretended to be incredibly intrigued by the paper as she noticed him approaching the desk.

 

                “What belongs to you, but others use it more than you do?” the man piped up, tapping the desk.

 

“Sorry, come again?” she looked up, more than a little confused.

“I said, what belongs to you, but others use it more than you do?” he repeated, his grin never faltering.

She furrowed her brow briefly, and looked back up at him, resting her chin on her hand.

“Your name?” she offered, biting her lip slightly.

“Correct! Which I don’t believe I caught yours,” he said, his eyes practically gleaming with pride at his own setup.

She resisted the urge to laugh at his absurd set up just to ask her name, but she smiled genuinely and stood up, extending her hand.

“Ahhh…Brianna Taylor, but please, just call me Bree,” she offered as he hesitantly shook her hand.

“Edward Nygma, but call me Ed if you like,” he grinned, “I work forensics. I haven’t really seen you around here and I at least know every face.”

“Intern, I am afraid, it’s my first day, so that would make sense.” Bree shrugged, smoothing out her dress pants.

Ed nodded, adjusting his horn-rimmed glasses.

 

“Well, I better be off then. _Things_ to analyze, evidence to sort,” he slid his hands into his pant pockets. “See you around, _Breeeee_ ,” he chuckled as he began to step back, running into the corner of the wall behind him. She started to laugh, but immediately stopped herself as his grin faded to a frown.

“That’s been happening to me all morning. It’s just one of those days,” she smiled, sitting back down at the rickety desk. He raised his brows, slightly surprised by her reaction, but returned a much smaller smile as he turned and left.

Bree found herself shaking her head and laughing inwardly to herself at the hilarity of their interactions. Ed seemed like a nice guy, if not a bit awkward, but so was she. At least now she had a somewhat friendly face to talk to at GPD. God knows she’d need it, she sighed, filing through the stack of files.


	2. Chapter 2

Fresh coffee rings began to form on the rickety old desk. The fern began to look a little less dead. Bree seemed to be less than a minute away from banging her head on her desk to put herself out of her misery, but decided against it, considering her dry cleaning was ready at 3.

She sighed and pushed another stack of sorted papers to the edge of her desk. If she had learned anything about GCPD in the past week working there, if would be that they were horrible at paperwork. That and they all drank way too much coffee. She had already made two coffee runs in the past five hours for the same few staff that were aware of her existence. She took another long sip of her own espresso, and decided to stretch her legs and take the finished stack of paperwork down to the most recent detective she had been assigned to, a man named Harvey Bullock. Apparently, the man hadn’t filed his own reports in quite a while. Bree certainly was under the impression that she technically wasn’t even qualified to do some on the work, but it was all “off the record”.

Dodging a few bustling employees, she hurried down the stairs. She swung around the corner, heading to where she now knew his desk was, and not at all to her surprise, he was not there.

She sighed, plopping the folders onto his desk. He probably would never even glance at them.

The sheer number of open cases amazed her. Whenever she asked about them, she was told to just leave it. She had heard the police were corrupt, but she hadn’t known just how many crimes were reported and uninvestigated for whatever reason.

She made her way back to her tiny work station, climbing back up the same staircase she had seen far too much of in the past week. She ran a hand through her messy hair and looked up when she saw a familiar face walking through the doorway of the forensics lab.

“How’s it going, Ed?” she asked tiredly. He glanced up from the file he had been examining, his brows raised as if he wasn’t used to the question. After a moment, he returned her smile, lowering the file.

“You know that homeless kid that was brought in this morning?”

She nodded, remembering very well Detective Bullock yelling this morning. Well, he always seemed to be yelling at something, but this one was the event of the day.

“Well, I took a blood sample from him, and I found something odd. A compound my systems are having a hard time identifying.”

“That’s strange…” she said, furrowing her brows, and waiving him toward her desk. He followed, grinning excitedly.

“Exactly! It looks like some sort of sedative…perhaps even a tranquilizer. It’s certainly fast-acting and very powerful. I was just considering looking into local animal control methods,” he folded the file beneath his arm and adjusted his glasses.

“What about a hospital?” Bree asked, not really sure why she was bothering trying to help.

“I considered that! However, its effects aren’t long lasting enough to put someone out long enough for surgery,” he waved his arm, leaning against her desk as she plopped down in the seat, deciding to completely blow off the remainder of the case files on her desk.

“Okay….well, what if the patients were a little rowdy, like in a—“

“Mental institution….that’s it!” he said, snapping his fingers, “I’ll check the databases of the main mental institutions in and around Gotham,” he said,  pushing off the desk and began walking back to the lab.

“What about Arkham?” she asked suddenly, causing him to stop in his tracks. He turned back and looked at her, his head tilted slightly. She bit her lip, his sudden focus a bit unnerving.

“It’s been closed for over ten years….do you think it may have a lead?”

“I don’t know, but it would definitely be worth a look,” Bree shrugged.

“I’m on it!” Ed smiled, his usual excitement returning, and he hurried off to his desk. Bree couldn’t help but to grin.

_Everyone else is just a hard-ass around here._

She turned back to the stack of files on her desk. The rest she had to do today were only cold cases she had to archive. Lightly, she brushed her fingers over the top one. She could go ask for something more to do, but she really was just content with skimming through the content of the old cases. They were like old narratives without an end. She considered beginning the alphabetizing process, but paused as she grasped the edge of the folder.

She opened the cover and began to read.

 

An hour or two later, Bree walked up the familiar staircase to her workspace, her energy sparked anew by lunch and a strong cup of coffee.

To her surprise, she saw Edward hanging around her desk, looking around somewhat anxiously. Their eyes met and he hurried over to her.

“We have a bit of a problem,” he began. Bree blinked a few times.

“Whoa, there, am I the designated advice giver now?” she teased, moving towards her desk, knowing he followed along. He really was like a little puppy.

“No….well you’re sorta the only one willing to bounce ideas around with me,” he said quietly, his grin fading somewhat and he nodded slightly as he looked down. Bree faltered a moment, frowning as she realized how lame her joke really was.

“Hey, it’s fine. What do you have?” she shook her head and craned her head to met his dark eyes as he looked back up.

“Ah, but it’s more of what _don’t_ we have,” he smirked, handing her a few papers. She grabbed them, flicking through what mostly registered to her as gibberish.

“Sorry, Ed, I don’t follow,” she said, finishing looking at the papers and handing them back.

“I searched through the databases of all local hospitals and mental institutions within a hundred miles, isolating which drugs worked in the same method as our mystery drug. Then I took those, and compared the structure of the compounds to that of the mystery drug. Guess what I found.”

“What?” she countered, not feeling like taking the time to guess, much to his disappointment.

“ _Nothing_. There were no matches in the databases I searched, but what else is missing there?” he leaned forward with a sly grin.

“Arkham wasn’t part of the list,” she concluded, furrowing her brows and looking back at the stack of papers in his hand, none of which bore the Arkham insignia. “Why not?”

“Arkham was shut down over ten years ago now, and it was active long before that. They never shifted to digital filing, and _supposedly_ , they’re still in there,” Ed finished.

“Why didn’t they take them out?” she asked.

“No one cared to. A few of them were for record purposes, but the asylum was mostly filled with undesirables and other risks to society. No one felt the need to search their medical records beyond the stigmatic stamp of _insanity_ ,” he shrugged.

“Hmmm…so what now?”

“Oh, we can do nothing. Without knowing what compound was in that kid’s system they’re not going to bother investigating further into it. I guarantee you that they will mark it off as another homeless teen drug addict.”

“But _you_ don’t believe that, do you?” Bree pressed, folding her arms across her chest. He narrowed his eyes slightly as they flickered across her features. “And there is the whole disappearing street children thing. It all sounds a bit sketchy,” she added.

“It doesn’t matter what I think…” he spun around, leaning on her desk, and clicking his tongue, “But theoretically…if it did, I’d say that chemical compound shows little promise for recreational use,” he said, tilting his head slightly as he glanced at her.

“So, if you can find out what this drug is, you think they can find the missing kids.”

“I never said anything of the sort,” he retorted.

“No, but it was written all over your face,” she quipped. He looked at her in surprise for a moment, and then he looked away and allowed a large grin to spread over his lips. He chuckled quietly.

“Alright then, Ms. Taylor, what do you propose? We go break into the Asylum and steal the old medical records?” he laughed, looking out the small window. When he turned back to face her, a smirk had surfaced on her lips and she gave a subtle wink.

“You can’t be serious.”

 

 

“You know, I had you pegged as the mild mannered intern, not whatever this is,” Ed said more to himself than to her as he turned the wheel of his simple, old, tan town car. He glanced over as Bree snorted a short laugh from the passenger seat, biting her nails slightly as she looked out the window at the grey overcast sky.

“Yeah, well, you don’t really know me too well,” she muttered into her hand. Ed raised his brows and adjusted his glasses.

“Well, neither do you. I could be anyone,” Ed said quietly. Bree smiled.

“I suppose that makes two of us then. I really usually don’t do stuff like this. I’m just running off an adventurous spark and hoping you’re not a serial killer,” Bree said, turning her head back to him with a mischievous grin.

“And I, the same,” Edward chuckled, turning off the main road into a secluded back road to Arkham.

“Oh, well that would be me,” Bree reached into her bag and pulled out a small protective case, “mild mannered intern by day, secret ninja assassin by night.”

“How very reassuring,” he quipped as he whipped the car behind a bush. From that location, it couldn’t be seen from any angle. Ed had briefly mentioned something about memorizing Arkham’s layout, but she hadn’t realized he had been serious when he said he considered every step and escape route.

 _He’s a little too good at this._ Bree mused, her eyes roaming over his pointed features as he parked the car. Other than schematics though, he seemed almost as uncomfortable as she felt.

“Follow my lead, there should be a pathway that winds itself up to the main island,” Edward began, adjusting his glasses before examining her with his dark eyes.

“Sure, aye captain,” she said opening her small case and pulling out her holster and handgun. Ed’s jaw dropped.

“Is that a Glock 42 subcompact pistol?”

“Yes,” she nodded simply, hardly concealing the smirk on her face. Ed laughed nervously.

“Why…”

“You have your talents, and I have mine,” Bree silenced him, his eyebrows only raising forward. “Don’t worry; I have a carry permit and everything. I don’t intend on being an intern my whole life,” she added, her curls bouncing slightly as she climbed out of the car and secured her weapon on her hip.

“Lead the way, captain!”

Edward led the way as they crept along the side of the main road that led to Arkham. They stayed close to the overgrown bushes. No one had really watched the area in quite some time. Even the local vandals typically abstained from this area aside from the occasional graffiti tag. It was far too close to the narrows, and the asylum stood on its own, creepier than any haunted house could ever be; at least that was what Bree thought, but she tried to hide it as they approached the looming structure.

“So we’re just going to….walk in?” Bree asked uneasily.

“The property owners only check up on it a few times a month. We should be in the clear,” Ed said quietly, turning his head slightly towards her while keeping his eyes locked ahead.

As they walked closer, it became more apparent how decrepit the buildings had become.

“Here we are,” he said as they approached the main gate with the words _Arkham Asylum_ across it, vines twisting up the iron bars. “Good thing I brushed up on how to pick…..locks,” Ed’s excited voice faded as they came closer.

“What is it?” she asked, but quickly received her answer as he reached out and pushed the gate, it swing open freely with a load creak. His eyes met hers.

“You may want to keep that gun at the ready.”

“…why?”

“Because we’re not alone here.”


	3. Chapter 3

“What do you mean there’s someone here? You said we’d be in the clear!” Bree muttered under her breath.

                “ _Clearly, I know that_ ,” Ed whispered back harshly, his lips flattening tightly in thought.

                “So, what’s the plan now?”

                “We keep going,” he concluded. She furrowed her brows and shot him a look. He raised his brows and shrugged. Bree narrowed her eyes at him a moment, and sighed.

                “Alright, looks like we’re just going to have to be extra sneaky. Where to?” she asked, scanning her eyes across the immediate surroundings. They were clear here at least.

                “Follow me,” Ed said simply, sliding between the rusted open gates. Bree followed briskly behind him.

“There should be a discrete entryway over here,” Ed whispered. Bree nodded in the dim light as they shuffled from shadow to shadow. She felt as if they were in some cheesy spy movie, her heart pumping loudly as she tried to keep her breathing quiet. However, she couldn’t deny it was quite exhilarating. She hardly knew Ed at all, yet she trusted him to be smart enough to navigate them safely. Bree just had to watch their backs. She drew her gun from her holster. It wasn’t loaded yet, but she was ready to do so at a moment’s notice. Ed gave her a cursory glance and frowned, but said nothing. He led them to a small metal door, its hinges rusted, but Ed jingled the handle and knelt down. Bree cocked her head curiously, watching as he picked the lock with ease, the door swung open with a slight creak.

                The two of them slid inside and cracked the door behind them.

                “According to the blueprints, the file storage offices should be this way,” he muttered.

                They made their way down the dark, abandoned hallway, and Bree couldn’t help but to shiver.

                “This place is creepy as hell,” she whispered, more to herself than to Ed. He made an uneasy sound of acknowledgement, flicking on a flashlight from his oversized tan coat. He led her up a staircase and down another few winding hallways until he slowed to a stop.

                “Here we arrrrrre…” he said, his smile catching shadows ominously in the dim reflected light of his flashlight, “hold this,” he added, handing Bree the flashlight as he started at the lock to the office. The window had collected an absurd amount of dust, and she couldn’t see a thing past it. There was no way she would have been able to find this place without Edward.

                Ed rattled the door handle and it gave a muted _click._ He pushed it open with a loud protest of the door’s hinges. Bree immediately breathed in a lung full of dust and couldn’t help but cough, her hand shooting up to her mouth to silence herself. Ed shot back a pointed look, and she just blinked back with wide eyes. He simply raised his brows and put a single finger to his lips. She nodded silently, handing him back the flashlight. He turned back to the room, stepping over various discarded items, and approached a wall of files.

                Bree turned her back to him, facing the door, her gun resting unloaded in her palm. Suddenly, a muted noise floated down the hallway. _Footsteps._

                “Ed, you might want to hurry up,” she whispered, pulling the door so it was barely cracked open. She peered through the dusted glass, reaching into her pocket and loading her magazine with a soft _click._

                “I think I almost have what I need…” she heard him mutter from the wall of files. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard a different voice.

                “Quick, turn the light off!” she said quietly, crouching down by the door frame. Ed obliged, freezing where he was.

                “ _Man, this place really is a dump, It’s a wonder Maroni is even bothering with it. It gives me the creeps.”_

The voices were close now, the clacking of nice shoes loud against the linoleum floors. Bree furrowed her brows in the darkness.

                ‘ _Maroni?’_ She mouthed silently.

                _“Yeah well, orders are orders, and there’s a good bit a territory to be had in these parts.”_

The men’s footsteps passed by, and Bree waited till they could no longer be heard before she released the breath she hadn’t known she was holding.

                “ _Jesus Christ_ ,” she muttered, remaining hunched against the doorframe. She looked back to Edward as he flicked his flashlight back on. Edward clambered to his feet, several files clutched to his chest.

                “We should go,” he said simply, handing a few of the files to her.

                “Agreed.”

                As they hurried back the way they came, Ed moved much faster than he had before. His long, lanky strides had Bree nearly running to keep up with him. Only one more patch of open space and they were home free. Ed now was a good ten strides in front of her, and she caught movement in the corner of her eye. Gasping, she ducked into the shadow of the gate wall, and looked up. Before she could call out to Ed, a gruff voice rang out.

                “ _Hey! What are you doing here_?” a shout came from the distance before her and Ed, gathering around the bright lamp that lit the pathway. Bree’s breath hitched, and she saw Ed stiffen when from the unmistakable sound of firearms loading. He stared, frozen like a deer in the headlights.

                Before she even could register what she was doing, Bree turned from the shadow, raising her glock and firing three rounds, hitting the only light source in the dark entryway, and evidently sending a bullet that skimmed one of the men. She sprinted toward Edward, mildly registering blind shots into the dark, and a yelp of pain from the man. She nearly knocked over Edward’s frozen figure, snatching his hand and whispering.

                “ _Run._ ”

                Immediately he snapped out of his trance, and they bee lined out the gates, sprinting and not stopping until they reached the car, parked behind a patch a bushes where they left it. They were silent for a moment, their breathing erratic and huffed. Bree looked up at Ed, who stared down at something with his eyebrows furrowed, and noticed he grew a little redder than he already was. She looked to where his attention was directed and noticed that she hadn’t released his hand, and was grasping it quite tightly. She glanced at him as he cleared his throat and she let go his hand, their fingers brushing slightly as the contact disappeared.

                “We should….get going,” Ed said quickly, unlocking the door and clambering into the car. Bree clutched the files tightly to her chest, nodding as she hurried around the car and jumped in. He kicked it into reverse, and gunned it down the narrow path away from the dreaded Asylum. Bree’s heart still hammered in her chest, and she couldn’t help but to let out a nervous laugh.

                Ed raised his brows, his eyes flickering between her and the dark road.

                “What?”

                Bree smiled, running a hand through her disheveled curls.

                “We….we just did that.”

                She seemed to have no need to elaborate, as he just nodded, facing back forward as he swallowed hard.

                “And I just saved your ass,” she added with a chuckle, her hands trembling slightly as she dropped the magazine cartridge from her gun and holstered it.

                “Yes….yes, it appears that we did…and _you_ did. And guess what we have now?” he raised his brows challengingly, a grin surfacing on his features. Bree quirked her head and shot him a look of perplexity.

                “If you have it, you want to share it. If you share it, you don't have it. What is it?” he quipped excitedly, but it was not exactly like the other times he had posed a riddle to her. There was an edge to it, a sort of dark underlying chill in his voice that put her slightly on edge. She suddenly resisted the urge to shiver as she glanced back out the window, feeling his dark eyes on her.

                “A _secret_ ,” she whispered, barely audible. He smiled.

//

 

                That night Bree fell into the deepest sleep she had in years, and was positively dismayed at the prospect of having to get out of bed and go to the precinct. She rolled over with a groan, but couldn’t help but to smile with a strange giddy excitement at going to work with such a new secret. Sure, breaking into private property wasn’t strictly _legal_ , but….something about it seemed so much more productive than the work she had to do all day. She and Ed had probably done more to help the case in one night than the entire police force in an entire week.

                So, she got up, and hurried to GCPD.

By the time she got there, she peaked inside the forensics lab and spotted Edward hunched over a few papers.

"Ed!" she quipped, his head snapping up at the intrusion. After a moment, he smiled.

"I got it!"he said excitedly, adjusting his horn-rimmed glasses as he scurried towards her. "So, I isolated the molecule and compared it to that of the records we found at Arkham," he began, beginning to walk past her desk and down the stairs. "Apparently, we have a match! A drug referred to as ATP, the exact knock out drug we were looking for. Up top," he said, holding up a hand. Bree gave him a wry grin and a small snort of a laugh, hitting his hand briskly.

"Score for team Mr. sassy science and glock girl," she laughed, "Now go tell them!" she added with a smile. His grin faded.

“Do you think now would be a good time to bring it up?”

“Just do it!” Bree whispered, pushing him forward and he crept by the window, peeking inside to see the Detective Bullock and Gordon talking to Essen.

“What is it, Ed?” the Captain’s voice called out rather monotone from the other side of the glass. Suddenly, he snapped out of his reverie and Bree saw him swallow hard before darting inside the office.

“Guess what I found,” she heard him quip excitedly and she grinned to herself as she scurried back to her pathetic little desk.

                She took the time to refill her mug of coffee, leaving it mostly black, but dumping an obscene amount of sugar in it. As she turned around she almost spilled coffee on Edward as he was walking back to the forensics lab. Bree furrowed her brows, grabbing a napkin from the coffee station and dabbing the spilt drops as she met his eyes.

                “Hey! That was fast. How did it go?”

                He paused briefly, making a small grimace that grew into a tight smile as he spun around, his hands clasped behind his back as he gave a small shrug.

                “They’re working from the information we found. Not much of a thank you, but it will do,” he said with a sigh. Bree hit him on the shoulder.

                “Hey!” he said as he flinched away. “What was that about?”

                Bree gave a lopsided grin.

                “ _You_ are the reason they’re gonna crack this case!” she waived her arms, gesturing to the room. “Think about it. Without knowing what drug was in that kid’s system they would have never gotten a solid lead.”

                “Yeah, well no one will ever know,” he said quietly, his cheerful demeanor all but dissipating. “They’re going to barge in to wherever they go, guns waving, the cavalry behind them, and they will have _their_ names all over the papers,” he pointed to the glass pointedly, an uneasy level of spite creeping into his voice. “No one will know what _we_ had to do to get that information,” Ed said dismissively. Bree shrugged.

                “And you are very right,” she began slowly, “but _we_ will….and if that’s all we get today, then there’s always tomorrow,” she shot back, her grin still plastered on her face. This was the sort of stuff she lived for; the exploring, the mystery, it was all she wanted the whole time. Of course she hadn’t really expected it through a mediocre internship, but it was certainly a start. However, she realized just how much fun she had playing detective as her cheeks began to ache from smiling.

Edward folded his arms over his chest, looking downward as a smile spread across his lips and he chuckled into the collar of his long tan coat.

Suddenly, all the pieces seemed to fall seamlessly together. Bree pursed her lips slightly, trying to think how to word her next proposal.

                “You know…it’s pretty crazy, the sheer number of cases we get that go unsolved…”

“It is, isn’t it?” he mused, letting the question ring in the silence. She meandered over to her desk, Ed trailing behind her.

“The department wouldn’t even notice if a few of them were missing,” she took a long sip of coffee.

“Oh?”

She shook her head, a small smirk playing on her lips.

“It would be a shame if a few of them were…. _misplaced_ ,” she said, her eyes meeting his as she slowly slid the case file towards him.

“That would be a shame…” His eyes flickered with something unrecognizable beneath his glasses, and a sly smile spread across his features as his fingertips grazed the edges of the case files.

_“A shame indeed.”_

 


	4. Chapter 4

Once more, Bree found herself nestled in the warm cocoon of sheets and blankets that she had longed for all week. It was a truly freeing feeling, lying in bed, not having any place to be. She gave a content sigh into her pillow, wallowing in her idleness, and hugging it tighter to her wrapped form.

She stiffened at the sound of her phone vibrating insistently. Looking up to her nightstand, she gave that hunk of plastic a glare that could have put a chill through Satan himself. Eventually, when her action didn’t seem to work, she lunged over half the bed and snatched the phone from the charger.

“Hello…” she slurred in a sleep-induced haze.

“Oh….ah…Bree!” a familiar voice chimed from the other end of the line. Bree propped herself up from the bed on her elbow and rubbed her temple.

“Ed? What’s going on? Is everything alright?”

“Why? Oh…yes, everything is fine, I just think I may have found something peculiar about one of those cases you gave me!”

Bree groaned inwardly before putting the phone back to her ear.

“Ed…you know it’s my day off, right?” she said delicately.

She could practically felt his smile drop on the other end of the phone, and a slight pang of guilt shot through her.

“Oh…it’s….fine. I just may have stayed up all night researching, but I suppose it can wait—“

“No, no, it’s okay. I just really don’t want to go in to GCPD today. How about we grab some coffee?” she suggested, rolling sprawling out on top of her sheets.

“That would be great!” Ed chimed enthusiastically. Bree couldn’t help but to smile, yet inwardly chastised herself for being such a pushover. She sighed. At least it was better than doing paperwork all day.

 

///

                Another cool, rainy day had found its way into Gotham. Bree bundled herself into her dark pea coat and her favorite dingy red scarf that had been a gift from her mother the last Christmas her family had as a whole, before their divorce.

She turned her head away from the sporadic cool mist of a drizzle that now filled the Gotham air. She ducked into the small café that Ed had suggested, glancing through the window and noticing Ed sitting in the far corner. As she gently pushed the door open and nodded a brief greeting to the barista, she wandered over to the booth that Edward had claimed. His nose was buried in a small stack of papers he had haphazardly strewn across the table. Her brows rose as she noticed a second cup of coffee across the table from his.

“Hey, Ed,” she said, sliding into the booth across from him with a smile.

“Bree!” Ed said, blinking a few times as he looked up. Apparently he really hadn’t noticed her approach. Darker circles seemed to emerge underneath his eyes overnight.

“Geeze….you weren’t kidding about staying up all night. Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m doing wonderfully. Better than I have been in a while actually,” he said with a lopsided grin as he took another swig of coffee. He gestured to the other cup.

“I went ahead and bought you some. You sounded a bit tired yourself on the phone.”

Bree chuckled and gave a slow nod as she reached for the coffee.

“Thanks, that’s very sweet of you,” she smiled as she reached for the sugar.

“Hmm…you’re welcome,” he muttered, slightly flustered as he gathered up the papers in an attempt to create some order.

“So, tell me, what do you have? I’m honestly pretty surprised you have anything considering I gave those files to you yesterday,” she said, her eyes flickering up to his as she stirred the coffee.

“Well, I suppose I just got a bit excited…” he shrugged.

“Alright, what do you have?”

Ed pulled out one of the papers and flicked through his small brown notebook.

“Do you always have that thing?” she mused, propping her head up by her elbow and nodding to the notebook. He didn’t even look up.

“Do you always ask so many obvious questions?” he retorted. She raised a brow.

 _Lack of sleep makes someone snappy….or everyone._ Bree mused to herself.

“So that would be a yes. No need to be hostile,” she quipped with a lazy grin.

His smile resurfaced as he straitened his posture and cleared his throat.

“Jason Roberts; age 34, officially missing, but suspected to be deceased,” he flipped to the next page.  “Rumor has it that he was involved in some rather unsavory activities, particularly with certain crime lord, Mr. Falcone.”

“Alright, so what makes this one so different than any other mob disappearance around here?”

“I was just about to get to that,” Ed began, “They never actually found his body, but they did find his left hand, complete with wedding ring and all.”

“Okay…well that is a bit strange. Usually something like that would be used to send a message, but it would be a bit noticeable if our man without a hand suddenly skipped town.”

“Exactly! One theory is that he angered the wrong person in the mob and was taken out. Another is that Roberts skipped town because of debt, and abandoned his family, leaving his hand as a mode of faking his own death. Now, his family is still in town, and Roberts’ fate is still quite ambiguous.”

“Sounds like a gold mine. Where do we start?” Bree smiled, taking another sip of coffee. Ed mirrored her. He drummed his slim fingers on the table pensively.

“Well, what’s often immediately effected by the disappearance of a person?” Ed pressed, looking at her expectantly.

“Their….family?” she offered with a light shrug.

“Bingo,” he said with a smile, “I figured we could start out by interviewing the family….and I may need to you do a bit of _undercover_ work…”

Bree almost spit out her coffee as she snorted a laugh.

“ _Undercover_? You’re joking right? I’m an intern, not some super-spy, and why don’t you do it?”

Ed raised a brow.

“ _Well_ , you _are_ quite unassuming, which is why you’d be a better candidate.”

“As if you aren’t unassuming,” she shot back with a lazy grin. His eyes glimmered darkly and a smirk played on his lips before continuing.

“Also, there’s always the risk that someone may recognize me from homicide,” he reasoned, holding her gaze steadily. She eyed him carefully for a moment before sighing.

“Oh, come on, no one will notice that you’re with GCPD unless they make a hobby of hanging around homicides! But...I’ll do it,” she relented, “Where do I need to go?”

“Roberts’ last employer before he disappeared,” he flipped over a few pages in his notebook, furrowing his brows and trailing his finger across lines of text until he found what he was looking for. He hesitated a moment, before speaking back up.

“Fish Mooney,” he muttered, clearing his throat.

“ _Excuse me_?” Bree sputtered.

“Just ask a few questions! Flirt around; I don’t know how people do it! Just ask about Roberts, see what his habits were like, who he hanged with, things of that nature.”

“I’m not going alone.”

Ed rolled his eyes, looking her over for a moment. Bree crossed her arms, raising her brows and shooting a glare right back. Edward sighed.

“Fine, I’ll go too,” he said reluctantly. Bree’s grin resurfaced.

“Night on the town, eh?” she laughed. Ed swallowed uncomfortably.

“It’s _just_ for research.”

“I’m gonna _make_ you have fun,” she added, poking at his little notebook. He began to gather his papers, and shuffled in his seat, readying to leave. Her smile faded slightly and she chewed her lip uncertainly.

“So when are we going to do this?” she asked. He smiled.

“I never _was_ , but am always to _be_. None ever saw me, nor ever will, and yet I am the confidence of all who live and breathe on this terrestrial ball.”

“Seriously, it _is_ my day off, you know…”

“ _Tomorrow.”_

“Wait…before you go, I also kinda wanted to talk about…that other thing.”

Bree’s eyes flickered around before she leaned over the table.

“About Arkham?” he finished stoically. She nodded.           

“You aren’t going to….tell anyone are you?” she asked hesitantly, earning a sudden laugh from Edward that caught her off guard.

“Of _course_ not,” he stated with a smirk, his dark eyes burning into hers.

“Good….because this entire thing we’re doing is not strictly—“

“ _Legal_. I’m aware,” he said with an almost bored tone.

“Yeah,” she said, her brows rose slightly, but she didn’t comment on his disregard for legality.

“Now, _my_ turn for more questions!” he quipped, setting his papers back on the table and steepling his hands in front of him. She gave a small smile and nodded as she took another sip of coffee and settled back into her seat.

“Shoot.”

“Interesting choice of words,” he chuckled, leaning forward attentively. It slightly unnerved her how intense his observant gaze was.

“Where did you learn to shoot like that?”

Bree raised her brows and shrugged, giving a light smile.

“My father taught me. He used to take me to the range all the time, and I kept practicing when I was old enough to go on my own.”

“Used to?” he inquired, letting the question hang. She shook her head.

“No, not like that, he’s still around. My father was a cop. He worked for GCPD for a few years. That’s how I managed to land the internship.”

Ed nodded in understanding.

“Did he quit?”

“Not exactly….He was an active officer for quite a few years, but then he was shot in the shoulder during a drug bust. They moved him to a desk job, and now he works in the nicer suburbs now.”

Edward stared at his empty coffee cup pensively, his finger trailing across the rim.

“And what about you?” he asked quietly.

“What about me?”

“Surely don’t want to be _an intern the rest of your life_ ,” he said with a smile, quoting her statement earlier at the asylum. “Especially not with a shot like that…And you’re a grad student.”

“How did you...?” he shot her a look that silenced her. Then it suddenly occurred to her that surely a guy like Edward would have done his research on just about everyone that entered the doors of GCPD. Then she sighed, there was no point beating around the bush with Ed.

“I’m working on my masters in criminology at Gotham University, and getting work experience at GCPD, but I don’t really plan on sticking around Gotham forever. I know it’s aiming pretty high, but I really want to work for the FBI someday,” Bree admitted with a shy shrug. Edward smiled, his glasses glinting in the café lighting.

“I think you’d do a great job in the FBI…” he said, staring down as his steepled hands pensively.

“What about you?” she said, causing him to pause momentarily. “Do you like where you are?”

Edward grabbed the papers and bunched them against his tall frame as he rose to his feet. He seemed to muse this for a moment.

“Now, that _is_ quite the interesting conundrum….” He stated evasively. A smirk surfaced across his lips, “Text me if you find anything before tomorrow.”

Bree pursed her lips and furrowed her brows as he turned to leave, her eyes following his slim from as he approached the door. He paused as he touched the handle, his head turning back and smiling at her.

“ See you soon, _Agent Taylor_.”


	5. Chapter 5

_Thump. Thunk-thump._

                Her fists collided with the punching bag with dull, heavy sounds. Bree huffed as she landed a solid round kick into the bag. She placed her hands atop her head as she paced around the bag slowly. She sighed as a buzzing noise against the hard floor caught her attention. She wandered over to her gym bag, taking a quick swing of water before picking up her phone.

                “ _Heeello_ ,” she chimed, still a bit out of breath, putting the phone to her ear and a hand on her hip.

                “So, I managed to find an address for Mr. Roberts,” Edward said excitedly over the line. Bree chuckled breathlessly.

                “Really, Ed, not even a hello?” she said with a tired smile.

                “Oh….well…hello. I just assumed….” He muttered uneasily.

                “I’m kidding, it’s cool, so what about that address?” she laughed as the paced the hardwood floor.

                “Can you get to GCPD right now?”

                “Uhh….I’m a little occupied,” she said with a chuckle, glancing into the large studio mirror and observing her disheveled, sweaty form. “Studying…”

                She heard him chuckled over the line.

                “You sound a little out of breath for studying….unless you just have some very peculiar study methods…” Ed trailed off.

                “Oh….no…just give me an hour or so. I need to shower and such; I’m pretty groady at the moment.”

                “From studying?” he mused incredulously.

                “Absolutely,” she quipped with a grin, grabbing her water and throwing it into her bag.

                “Why the urgency? I have off today too, it’s Saturday, remember?” she added, furrowing her brows as she made her way out the door and down the narrow staircases.

                “Well, _you_ may have the day off, but for some odd reason, homicides tend to not have the decency to wait till Monday. Ironically, I’m finishing up a crime scene at Arkham now…”

“Oh, irony does abound,” she interjected, keeping the phone wedged between her shoulder and ear as she wriggled into her coat.

“I _may_ have gotten us connected for a brief interview with Mrs. Roberts,” Ed finished, not missing a beat from her commentary.

“That’s awesome!” Bree said before breathing in sharply at the cool chill of the outside air. “Look, Ed, I’m gonna have to let you go for a bit. I’ll see you in an hour or so.”

“But wait! I wanted to tell you this one new riddle I ha—“ Ed was broken off and she could hear voices shouting his name on the other side of the line. “Gotta go, bye!” was all she caught before the line went dead. She sighed, shoving her phone into her pocket before hurrying off to her apartment.

She rushed through her shower and tried to piece together an outfit suitable for a “short interview,” or whatever their chat really would be. She hurried off to GCPD, hair still slightly damp as she ran out the door.

////

When Bree finally arrived at GCPD Edward was standing next to Detective Bullock’s desk, handing him few sheets of paper she assumed was an autopsy report. She shifted uncomfortably with a polite smile as she shuffled closer. Bullock’s eyes shifted to her as she nudged Edward with her elbow.

“Who’s this?” Bullock pointed to her, looking at Ed as if he’d grown an extra head. Bree raised her brows. Edward opened his mouth to answer, clutching his little brown notebook to his chest, but Bree cut him off.

“I work here, actually I do a lot of your paperwork,” she said with a tight smile, extending her hand. He took it hesitantly. “Brianna Taylor, I usually work upstairs…” Bullock raised his brows with a slow nod.

“So, you do…” he gave a brief tip of his hat, “Well in that case, keep up the good work kiddo….and whatever you’re doing with Ed…” he said with a wave of his hand. His focus was elsewhere, making eye contact with his partner across the room and hurrying over.

“I think he thought we were—“

“--They belong to me, they belong to you, they can make you feel happy or make you feel blue, they never end until the day you do…” he said quietly, cutting her off. She raised a brow silently, eyeing him. After a moment, he met her eyes with a rather curious look and an almost deary smirk on his face.

“ _Thoughts_ ….he can think what he likes,” Ed finished, clearing his throat slightly.

 “So, shall we?”

////

Bree hugged her coat more tightly to herself as another cool breeze sent a chill through her as they stood on the steps of a rather decrepit apartment complex. It stood on the edge of mob territory, as Edward had been so keen to inform her before they stood in the cold on the complex’s doorstep. After another moment or so, the doorknob rattled and a pale-faced woman peered out from the cracked door.

_Time to turn on the charm._

Bree smiled, and nudged Ed, who hesitantly plastered an uneasy smile onto his own face.

“Hi, Mrs. Roberts, is it? We’re the journalism students that briefly corresponded with you earlier. Do you mind if we can have a word with you? It will only take a few minutes,” Bree chirped, trying to sound more professional than she actually felt. Ed remained silent next to her, shuffling uncomfortably.

“Oh, yes, do come in!” Mrs. Roberts responded. Rusted bolts slid on the other side of the door, and she opened it wider. She smiled weakly, brushing aside her mousey hair and bangs tinged with a dull shade of grey.

Edward trailed behind Bree as they climbed up the chipped stone steps to the door. They followed the small woman up a small flight of stairs. She glanced back over her shoulder as they shuffled after her.

“So, what were your names again?”

“Oh, I’m Caroline Logue, and this is…”

“Charlie Smith,” Edward finished, making eye contact with Bree and shooting her a small shrug.

They reached the floor and Mrs. Roberts turned towards them, giving another tired smile.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you two,” she said, extending her hand. Bree shook it and Edward stared at her extended hand for a moment too long before he realized he was supposed to shake it, and then shook it with a bit too much enthusiasm.

They entered the small musty-smelling apartment and Mrs. Roberts gestured to small couch.

“Do take a seat,” she said as she took a seat in a cushioned seat across from them. Bree nudged Edward and he hurried around the sofa, sitting down stiffly. She joined him, the old couch creaking in protest at their combined weights. They heard the loud thumping of footsteps and a loud giggle in the next room. Bree glanced at Edward, his brows furrowed slightly, then to Mrs. Roberts, who rolled her eyes.

“Krispen, Julie! Keep it down!” Mrs. Roberts shouted then sighed with a small shake of her head.

“Children…” she muttered, crossing her legs tiredly as she smoothed out her long skirt. Bree opened her mouth for a moment, trying to carefully word her next question.

“So, you have two children?” she asked. Mrs. Roberts nodded.

“How….did they handle Mr. Roberts passing?” she asked delicately. A tight frown formed on Mrs. Roberts’ face. She looked down, wringing out her hands in her lap.

“Well…he never was around much to begin with, and when he was I typically kept them away from him. I loved my Jason….but….he had a bit of a temper. Thank God for Samuel…”

Bree saw Edward’s throat bob next to her as he swallowed, his mouth in a tight line. Bree nodded solemnly.

“If I may ask….who’s Samuel?” Bree asked, raising her brows, her eyes flickering to Ed and back to Mrs. Roberts. Edward was being rather quiet, but she supposed it was probably working for their benefit. She’d ask why later. Mrs. Roberts smiled, her eyes still downcast.

“Samuel is….was Jason’s brother. He’s been a wonderful help after the entire Jason ordeal…He helps with the kids, lives with us, helps pay the bills. He’s been like a father to Krispen and Julie since Jason’s passing…if not even before. He’s an angel,” she said, meeting Bree’s eyes once more, and glancing to Edward.

“You still wear the ring,” Edward interjected, breaking his silence. Mrs. Roberts nodded silently, her smile fading as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat and she twisted the ring on her finger.

“I couldn’t bear to bring myself to take it off. It seemed too soon.”

“It doesn’t seem that way considering the way you speak about Samuel.”

Mrs. Roberts’ jaw dropped slightly before she narrowed her eyes. Bree froze in her seat, eyes wide and wishing Ed had refrained from opening his mouth.

_This can’t be good._

“I know my late husband was involved in some rather shady affairs. I also knew that every day he went to work there was a chance he would never come back. It was never disenchanted by that.”

“I can see that.”

“I want you to _leave_ , right now,” Mrs. Roberts’ scowled, standing from her seat.

Just then the rattle of the door beside them sliced through the thick tension of the small living room. The door swung open and revealed a tall man with light scruff and hands full of groceries.

“Hey! How’s it—“he began, but his brows rose when he saw Edward and Bree sitting bewildered on the couch. “Hello…who’s this?” he said, placing the large bags on the ground, revealing his large, muscled form. Edward swallowed nervously as he slowly rose to his feet. Bree joined him, her eyes flickering across the room, trying to figure out any way to diffuse the tension.

“No one, Samuel. They were just leaving,” Mrs. Roberts spat. Bree was the first to move, latching on to Edward’s arm and tugging him towards the exit.

“Yes…we were just….leaving. I hope you have a wonderful day,” she sputtered weakly as they shuffled around Samuel’s large form and out the door. Bree nearly dragged Edward down the flight of stairs and out the complex door before she suddenly turned around, Edward almost falling atop her.

“What the _hell_ was that about?” she spat, poking him in the chest.

“I only pointed out what I needed to…”Edward said, staring at her finger at his chest, his brows drawn together in confusion. “What did I do wrong?”

Bree narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, examining his face and slowly bringing her hand down. Her expression lightened a fraction when she realized he was serious; he actually didn’t understand why she was angry. She bit her lip a moment, glancing down the mostly abandoned street before she sighed.

“Ed…not everyone takes being called out very well. Especially not a woman that just lost her _husband_ ,” she said, meeting his dark brown eyes with her light hazel ones. Edward gave her a tight-lipped frown.

“Her _abusive_ husband, you mean.”

Bree shook her head slowly.

“That doesn’t matter. She still cared about him, even if he didn’t treat her well.”

“Why?....” Ed asked quietly. Bree raised her brows and paused a moment. Then she smiled.

“Ed, sometimes people are like the riddles you tell, but without a single answer,” she laughed, sliding her arm around his elbow.

“What are you…?” Ed began, staring down at their contact.

“I’m cold and you’re warm, now shut up,” she sighed into his shoulder.

“Oh….okay.”

“So, what’s the plan now? We didn’t really get to ask many questions with Mrs. Roberts…so are we still up for the Mooney excursion?”

“I’d say so. We need to see what else we can dig up about Mr. Roberts.” He nodded stiffly.

“Alright, pick me up at eight tonight. I can text you the address.”

“W-wait, pick you up?” Edward said, stumbling with his words.

“Yeah, I can’t meet you at GCPD in clubbing clothes. I’ll never live that down,” she laughed, bumping into him playfully. Her lips lazily fell into a smile. “Not that they even know I work there…” she added glumly.

“You wouldn’t be the only one,” he muttered with a tight smile, “So, eight?”

“Eight.”

//////

 

_Maybe this isn’t such a good idea._

Bree mused as she refreshed her makeup, her hands nervously sliding down the sides of her dress, tugging at the hems. She sighed as she put on a bit of lipstick and pulled up the neckline of her dress slightly. Being one of two nicer dresses in her closet, the other one reserved for church when the family was in town, she didn’t have much of a choice with it. Needless to say, she never found herself going out very often. The deep green dress wasn’t absurdly tight, or short for that matter, but the neckline was a little on the border of what she was comfortable with. However, she was hoping it would portray just enough class to get the job done.

_What the hell. Let’s get it over with._

 She winced at the loud sound of her heels clacking against the hard apartment floor as she grabbed her purse and carefully tucked away her Glock inside.

 _You can never be too careful._ She thought with a smirk as she draped the bag strap across her shoulder, and threw on her peacoat. She hurried down the stairs as she felt the buzzing of her phone through her bag. She didn’t even bother answering it as she flung open the door, finding a rather wide-eyed Edward Nygma on her doorstep, a cab standing idle behind him. He blinked a few times, still clutching his phone to his ear.

“I was hoping I was at the right address,” he said, slowly lowering the phone. Ed wore the same suit he was wearing from earlier, not that it mattered since there was a very slim chance of seeing anyone who would recognize him, Bree mused.

“Uh….you look….different,” he said, clearing his throat.

“Well….good. I’d say I should look different than I do at GCPD,” she smiled, giving a small chuckle as she slid into the cab and he ducked in after her.

When they eventually arrived in the theater district, Edward seemed to not notice Bree fidgeting in her seat. As they slowed to a stop on the street near Mooney’s club, Ed leaned over with a grin.

“What is the restraining hand

That keeps you from going,

From doing horrible things,

And is hard to live with?”

“I don’t know, Ed…” Bree sighed, but when she turned her head she was greeted by his furrowed brows and a frown. The corners of her lips twitched slightly.

“You know, sometimes I don’t know if you actually want me to answer, or you want me to get it wrong just to prove you’re smarter.”

His frown faded into a more baffled expression, at which Bree actually smiled.

“Ah, have I foiled your master plan?” she said, giving the cab driver some cash before popping open the door and turning back to him. He silently opened his mouth, but then closed it again, blinking a few times.

“I think I’ll throw _you_ a curve ball. Here’s a riddle: do you really want me to answer? ”

“Well, technically that’s not a riddle…”

///

 

The two found themselves wondering up to the nearest bar as they walked into the night club. A band played on stage and eyes were certainly not on them. Bree flashed a smile to the bartender.

“How you doin’, miss?” the larger man said with a grin, giving Edward a small nod of acknowledgement. “What can I get for yah today?”

“Two rum and cokes please,” she said, dragging Ed into the seat beside her.

“Wait—I’m not…” Edward began to protest, but Bree shot him a look.

“It would look a little weird if you didn’t…” she muttered quietly.

“Alright then, what she said!” he quipped with a tight smile, sliding into the seat beside her and leaning against the bar.

                Ed peered over her shoulder at a few of the people seated down the bar from them. Bree gave another polite smile as the bartender slid the two drinks in front of them.

                “Anyone look like they could be particularly helpful?” she said in a hushed tone to Edward, taking a sip of her drink. He nodded faintly, examining his own drink for a moment.

                “The bartender, for one, but the lone man at the far end seems to be an employee as well,” he said lowly, bringing the drink to his lips. He tried to conceal a light cough as he took his first sip.

“Not much a bar person?” Bree chuckled lightly, taking a larger drink. He smiled and shook his head.

“Are you?” he added after a moment, his eyes flickering across her features. Bree bit her lip slightly.

“Not particularly….but I can certainly hold my liquor,” she smiled, “I learned that back in undergrad. Let’s kick it up, shall we?” she laughed, turning back to the bar and waving down the bartender.

“What else can I get for yah?”

“Get us couple shots of fireball,” she called out to him, “And put that on _this guy_.”

She gestured to Ed with a mischievous grin. Ed leaned over stiffly, whispering harshly.

“ _What_ are you doing? You remember this is a stakeout _, right_?”

She dismissively waved her hand.

“Yes, but you’re not going to get anyone to talk with that attitude. Not to mention, you’re stiff as a board. I’m trying to get you to relax some,” she shrugged, smirking as she caught the shots being placed down in front of them from the corner of her eye.

“So, are you ready?” she said grabbing a glass.

“Unlikely,” he said simply, but mirrored her.

He downed the shot, but refused to have any more. Bree felt the need to finish his unfinished few shots and it was slowly but surely starting to hit her. She prided herself at being the intellectual drunk, but she accidentally found herself at the border of tipsy and drunk. Edward seemed a little tipsy, but he really just seemed a bit quieter than usual.

“I really don’t want to think about GCPD right now…” Ed muttered.

“You know, I think you’re pretty cool…” she slurred, smiling lazily. “And I don’t really think they appreciate you as much as they should.”

“Yeah…”

“And I actually really enjoy spending time with you”

“Bree, you’ve had a bit to drink.”

“I don’t care….” She quipped, leaning against his shoulder lazily. Edward swallowed hard and seemed deeply concentrated on his shot glass as a light dusting of red found its way to his cheeks.

“I think I’m going to grab some fresh air…”

“Okay, just don’t go too far, and be careful.”

“Thank you, mother,” he chuckled, hopping out of the seat.

Bree smiled, and then asked the bartender for a water. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a figure down the bar looking her way. Feeling brave, she turned and met the man’s eyes. She smiled, sliding out of her seat and slowly walking towards him. He seemed suddenly a little nervous and took another sip of his beer. He was relatively handsome, likely Italian with his sleek dark hair and tan. She still had the feeling he was a low level thug on some sort of break.

“Hey,” she said, sliding into the seat next to him. “Saw you staring and thought I’d say hello.”

“My apologies, I just can’t help but stare when I see something beautiful,” he said flashing a rather impressive smile. Bree couldn’t help but giggle, allowing her light intoxication give a more convincing act.

“That’s so sweet!” she said, tilting her head, “What’s your name?” she asked lowly, trailing a finger playfully across his shoulder.

“Franco, and yours, sweetheart?” he said.

“I’m Lyndsey,” she said with a smile. He chuckled.

“Well, miss Lyndsey, was that a boyfriend you were with earlier?” he asked, his tone smooth. Bree shook her head and gave a short laugh.

“No, of course not! That’s my cousin, Brian. He’s not from around here, and he can be such a stick in the mud!” she rolled her eyes, and exaggerated her motions.

“Well that’s a relief for me. Can I buy you another drink?”

Bree chewed on her lip briefly in mock-contemplation.

“I’ve already had a few, but another water would be lovely,” she said with a smile. “So, Franco, do you work here, or just hang around here?”

He chuckled.

“A bit of both, I suppose, but yes I do in a way work here.”

Bree shifted a little closer to him, subtly brushing her knee against his.

“So, this may seem a little out of the blue, but while I’m out here I guess I should ask. Brian used to be friends with a guy who lives and works around here. He was trying to reconnect with him and I was wondering if you knew him. I think his name was……Jason Roberts?” she said, slurring her words and furrowing her brows more than necessary. Franco scoffed before nodding after a moment.

“Yeah, I knew the guy.”

“Oh, really?” she asked, resting her chin on her palm.

“Bit the dust a while back. Pretty messy, too.”

“Oh, _n_ o….what happened?” she said with a pouty frown. Franco shrugged.

“I’m not really sure.”

“Was it….work related?” she ventured, earning a raised brow from him.

“I doubt it. He wasn’t the easiest guy to get along with, but he knew the rules. He was one loyal son of a bitch, and he was pretty damn good at what he did. He was a favorite, really, as far as basic labor goes. Wait, where are you—“

“I’m really sorry, but I have to make a call, give me just a minute,” she said, standing up and quickly pulling her phone from her bag. Oddly enough, at that exact moment, her phone buzzed and Ed’s caller id popped up. An odd thought crossed her sobering mind.

_What is the restraining hand_

_That keeps you from going,_

_From doing horrible things,_

_And is hard to live with?_

She didn’t even take a breath.

“Ed, it wasn’t Mooney that had Roberts killed…” she sputtered into the mouthpiece.

“I know….” She heart nearly skipped a beat as she heard Edward swallow hard on the other side of the line.

“ _Listen to me_ ; you need to get the Roberts’ apartment complex right now. I can’t explain, I—“

The line went dead.

“Edward?....” she muttered dumbly into the speaker.

“Ed!” she whispered, stumbling out of her seat as she stared at her phone and smacked down a twenty for the drinks. “Keep the change,” she muttered not paying much attention to the several people she nearly knocked over to get out the door of the club; Franco long forgotten.

                “Taxi!” she yelled as her heels clacked on the sidewalk.

                _Shit_.

                She thought glumly, deeply regretting the few drinks she had as she nearly leapt into the back seat of the taxi.

                “What have I gotten myself into…”


	6. Chapter 6

The tires of the cab nearly screeched to a halt as she nearly shouted instructions to the cabbie.

                “ _I will actually pay you double if you get me there as fast as you possibly can.”_

Bree had said when she first climbed into the cab. She found herself sobering at an alarming pace. Mentally, she felt there, but she knew her reaction time would be horrible compared to usual.

She nearly threw the money at the cab driver as she ducked out the door and muttered a quick “ _thank you_.”

                Rushing up the doorsteps, she slowed as she approached the door, carefully testing the knob.

                It was unlocked.

                She paused, taking a moment to slide off her heels.

                _No point of those…_ she mused, reaching into her purse and grabbing her Glock. _This is a horrible idea,_ she thought vaguely, sliding the rounds into the magazine.

                _Click._

She opened the door slowly, keeping her gun at the ready as she crept inside. The stairs creaked softly as she snuck up the small flight.

                Her heart thrummed painfully hard in her chest as she reached for the doorknob. Her head was as nearly spinning as she tried to keep her breathing a quiet as possible. She turned the knob….it was unlocked as well.

                “Something is really not right…” she whispered under her breath, pushing the door open with a small burst of confidence. Her grip on her gun never faltered.

                The lights were not on as she crept inside the small apartment. Her eyes darted across the room, looking from any movement. The dim glow of a light around a wall partition caught her eye and she slowly began to walk towards it. She rounded the corner and found herself in a small kitchen and was greeted by the large shoulders of burly man, his back to her. Her stomach dropped as she heard an unmistakable sound.

                _Click!_

“It’s about time you showed up, girlie,” the man said turning around and raising a gun in her direction. She swallowed as she noticed a seated figure behind him, tied to a chair. _Ed._

                He looked at her with wide eyes. Bree met Samuel’s eyes with a steely edge.

“ _GCPD_ ….pun the gun down, Roberts,” she said with less certainty than she intended. Samuel laughed, stepping forward slightly. Bree stepped back, nearly tripping over a carpet, but kept her arms steady.

                “Really, _GCPD_? Then I’d like to see some credentials.”

                “Drop the gun and maybe we’ll talk,” Bree retorted. Samuel shook his head.

                “No can do, kiddo.”

                “Where are the children?”

                “Not here.”

                “It was you that killed Jason. You killed your own brother…. _why_?” she took a jab at a theory she had been beginning to suspect, hoping that it would at least buy her some time. Samuel’s smirk faded, and he scoffed, clenching his hand not holding his gun.

                “That man had not been my brother for a very long time. He had turned into just another hired thug….I was just doing the world a favor,” he said bitterly.

                _Shit, he really did kill his brother._ She thought, trying to hide her slight surprise from her face.

                “And he hurt Michelle and the kids…”

                “You were in love with her…” Bree mused, raising her brows, “You were protecting them.”

                “Jason never deserved a woman like her,” Samuel narrowed his eyes, his frown deepening.

                “Hence the amputation of his left hand and the placement of the wedding ring still on it…” Edward interjected quietly from behind Samuel.

                “That was clever making it look like a mob hit,” Bree commented, drawing Samuel’s attention back to her. “But why approach us again?”

                He was quiet a moment, gun lowered slightly.

                “I knew something was wrong the moment Michelle said there were a few students trying to interview her about Jason…and I just knew you weren’t students. I couldn’t let you go knowing what had actually happened….I couldn’t then and I can’t now—“

                Bree’s heart skipped a beat as he suddenly raised his gun and she almost dropped to the floor, but a loud _THUNK_ froze her to the spot. With wide eyes she gaped as Samuel’s form slumped and collapsed onto the ground, only to reveal a brow furrowed Edward Nygma wielding a frying pan.

                “Ed…” she gasped, staring at the heap of a man on the floor. She watched as Ed dropped the pan on the ground with a loud _clang._

                Bree lowered her gun, dropping the magazine and stowing it away with rather shaky hands.

                “I froze…” she muttered, eyes downcast. In her peripherals she noticed Ed step around the unconscious lump and move toward her.

                “I _froze._ I froze and I almost got myself killed because of it,” she blinked as she fought back the wave of unforeseen emotion. She swallowed hard, nodding softly as she dared to raise her head and meet Edward’s eyes.

                She could see the thoughts dancing across his dark eyes, not quite sure how to process the situation. His lips were slightly pursed together and he stared at her as he reached out and lightly patted her on the shoulder. A smirk played upon her lips at the gesture.

                “Thank you,” she took a moment to wrap her arms around him, clinging to him tightly. “Thanks for being the one to save _my ass_ this time around,” she chuckled into the lapels of his suit. She felt him stand stiffly, as if he genuinely did not know what to do.

“It’s easy, Ed,” she sniffed a little as she laughed, biting back the slight sting of tears at the corners of her eyes. “You just, take your arms, put them around someone and squeeze a little,” she smiled into his shoulder, her brows still deeply furrowed, fighting back a sob. She felt his lean arms hesitantly wrap around her form. After a moment, just as she moved to pull away, his grip tightened, holding her in place his arms tugging her closer to his lanky form. She felt his cheek rest against her head. They stood like that in silence for what felt like hours. After another moment, Bree spoke up.

“Edward?”

“Hhmm?”

“There is an unconscious body on the floor that we likely need to address.”

“Interesting….so there is.”

 

///

 

 _“What turns everything around, but does not move?_ ”

“Wait—so does this answer my question about the Roberts’ thing?” Bree raised a finger, tilting her head slightly. Edward just about rolled his eyes.

“Come oooooon, just give it a try!” he quipped.

They stood back at GCPD headquarters, Edward leaning over Bree’s desk.

“It is way too early for this.”

“ _Brianna_ …” he droned impatiently, tapping on her desk.

“A mirror,” she said with a sigh and Edward beamed.

“Correct! See, that was not so bad.”

“Yes, but how does that answer my question about how you managed to get Roberts locked up without involving us?”

“Oh, but in a way, it does! I _reflected back_ on his past, and found that he was on parole for drug related charges. I simply gave him a dose of said drug and called in an anonymous tip of a domestic disturbance of some sort at the address, and voila!” he said excitedly, a wide grin spreading across his face. Bree blinked a few times.

“Wait—you could have made him go into a relapse!”

Ed shrugged. “I think a thank you would suffice.”

Bree sighed, narrowing her eyes briefly at him while dragging a hand through her hair.

“Thank you, Ed,” she said eventually, a smile playing on her lips. “Oh! Wait, I got you something!” she said, snapping her fingers and reaching under her desk. “I was in this bookstore yesterday and I passed this and it reminded me of you,” she laughed, pulling out a small box and handing it to him. He raised his brows, taking the box into his hands curiously.

“Go on, open it up!”

He pulled off the bits of tape keeping it together and popped open the cardboard top. A large grin appeared on his face as he reached inside and pulled out a white ceramic mug, its side adorned with a large question mark.

“Oh my word….that’s beautiful.”

“I thought you’d like it,” Bree grinned, gathering her papers.

“Oh, and another thing! Have you heard anything about that strange case Bullock and Gordon picked up this morning? It’s some sort or mystery drug that—“

“Nygma! Get down here!” a gruff voice called out, causing his face to drop. He sighed.

“Duty calls…”


	7. Chapter 7

Over the steady hum of people arguing and clambering through GCPD, Bree’s music played quietly in her little corner of the world. She caught a looming presence over her desk in the corner of her eye, and her lips twitched into a smirk.

                “What do you got, Ed?” she remarked casually.

                “ _Don’t vex me, mortal_ ,” he chimed. Bree paused, furrowing her brows before looking up from her work and was met with his grinning face.

                “ _Excuse_ , me?” she said, resting her chin on her hand.

                “That’s supposedly what the man said, before drinking a few gallons of milk, and stealing an ATM,” he continued.

                “Sorry, I’m going to need a bit more context than that,” she said with a small snort of laughter.

                “Oh…well, this morning Detective Gordon and Detective Bullock checked in on a drug store robbery, and supposedly the man was strung out on some sort of mystery drug,” he began excitedly, pushing his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose, “And the man apparently drank a gallon of milk, and then _ripped out_ an ATM with his _bare hands_!” Edward finished, his arms gesturing dramatically.

                Bree’s hand clamped over her mouth, stifling a laugh.

                “And you didn’t make this up?” she choked out in a laugh. Ed shook his head, grinning.

                “What is it with this town and their mystery drugs?” She waved, grabbing her cup of coffee. “ _Don’t vex me, mortal,”_ she smiled, “Can I get that on my tombstone?”

                “I’m not quite sure…it would be a bit ironic though, hmm?”

                “Yeah, for sure…..so how on earth did that guy rip out an ATM?” she asked, looking up at him from her cup. Edward gave an exaggerated shrug.

                “Not a clue! However, I would very much like to know!” he said smiling. He leaned in a bit closer. “Shall we….do a little investigating?” he added quietly, his eyes crinkling with excitement.

                Bree returned a smile sadly, her hand running itself through her messy hair.

                “I don’t know Ed….maybe we should sit this one out. This could be pretty dangerous and we just finished the last one a few days ago…” she said, and edge of uncertainty creeping into her voice.

                Ed’s expression slowly fell, his smile drifting from his lips.

                “The last one was dangerous too,” he said pointedly. Bree nodded.

                “I know…but that’s just it. If we got in over our heads we wouldn’t have anyone to back us up, and even if we did call GCPD, we could lose our jobs…” Bree sighed, “Look, I’m sorry, just give me a few more days. I’m still a little shaken from the whole Roberts thing. I’m not saying you shouldn’t look into it, I’m just saying I don’t want either of us to get hurt by some drugged out psycho,” she said, meeting his eyes.

                His lips pressed tightly together as he gave a stiff nod. He held his little brown notebook against his chest and pushed his up his glasses. Eventually he looked up, meeting her gaze, disappointment clear in his eyes.

                “Ed…”

                “It’s okay, it’s fine…” he said with a tight smile.

                “I’m just trying to make sure you don’t do anything—“

                “I said it was fine!” Ed interrupted, meeting her surprised eyes for a moment before swallowing stiffly, and taking his leave.

                Bree blinked a few times as she watched him leave, her brows furrowed together.

                “What’s his problem today?” she mumbled to herself, looking back down at her daily stack of papers.

 

///

                A few hours later, Bree stood from her desk with a sigh. She reached down as she felt an insistent buzzing in her pocket.

                “ _Hello,_ ” she chimed as she flipped open her phone.

                “Hey, Bree! We’re still on for lunch, right?” a familiar female voice rang over the line. Bree stopped and nearly tripped down the stairs as she finished shrugging on her coat and held the phone to her ear.

                “Oh, wow, Jess, I totally forgot,” she said, feeling the need to bop herself on the head for being such and idiot, “Just give me fifteen minutes, I’ll be right there!”

                She heard a laugh over the line.

                “ _Typical_ , see you soon!” Jessica said before the line went dead.

                The sudden cold on her cheeks nearly left her breathless as Bree pushed open the doors to GCPD. She hurried down the sidewalk and made her way down to the street. Luckily, her favorite coffee shop was not far from GCPD, and for that matter, not far from the one Edward had shown her. It was larger than most of the coffee shops in the area, and typically was swarmed with local college students. A small bell jingled softly as Bree pushed on the wooden frame of the glass door. The name _Spot’s_ reflected dully on the door in fifties stylized lettering. She was greeted with the wafting scent of ground coffee and burgers.

                She meandered up to the register and placed her order, taking her coffee cup and scanning the restaurant. She smiled as she saw Jessica’s head stooped low over her laptop, typing wildly.

                “ _Jessica_ ,” Bree chimed, grinning as Jessica’s head popped up, meeting her with wide eyes.

                “Bree!” she said hopping up and nearly knocking her over with a hug.

                “Whoa, easy there!” Bree chuckled as Jessica released her and slid back into the booth. Jessica released a long sigh, brushing her bangs out of her face.

                “I swear, Bree, college is going to be the death of me,” she groaned, plopping her head down onto the large wooden table. “I have two thousand more words to write before midnight,” she said despairingly, her words muffled by the wood.

“No one said it was going to be this much work…”

Bree gave a low chuckle.

                “ _Now_ you’re getting it…” she said, patting Jessica on the shoulder as she stood back up. “Be right back, I’m going to grab some coffee.”

                Bree moved to the small station where the pre-made coffee resided. She hummed lightly as she filled her cup, dumping in an abundance of cream and sugar.

                _I really should cut back on the coffee,_ she mused as she stirred her concoction. Her eyes flickered across the counter.

                _Dammit, they’re out of lids._ She thought with a mental sigh and whipped around to move back to her table. She slammed into something and the coffee sloshed into a solid object. Her jaw dropped in dismay as she looked up at the figure she had run into, his nice suit now splattered with coffee, and his own coffee splattered onto her and on the floor.

                “Oh my God….I am _so sorry_ ,” Bree muttered breathlessly, wincing as she felt the burn of the hot coffee on her own skin. She looked up at the tall figure with wide eyes, frozen to the spot. He stared back at her with almost mirrored surprise, regarding her with large brown eyes. She stared like a deer in the headlights. His nice suit and neatly coiffed hair exuded an air of importance.

                “Oh…. _errmmh..”_  She sputtered as she reached back and set her cup down on the counter, and then grabbed a handful of napkins, and awkwardly patted his suit. She met his eyes and to her surprise he smiled, gently prying the now soggy napkin from her grasp.

                “It’s alright,” he said, reassuringly, smiling. She grabbed a few more napkins.

                “I feel so bad. That suit looks nice, I really should have looked first,” Bree said, blinking as she stumbled over another apology and handed him the napkins. She glanced back up at him as he caught her hand.

                “I said, it’s _alright_.” He said again, flashing another smile. She shifted awkwardly as he took the napkins from her and released her hand. He patted down the front of the suit. “It’s not too noticeable,” he ventured amiably, “Nothing that won’t wash out.”

                Bree nodded politely, wiping off her coffee cup with a small smile.

                “The name’s Harvey, by the way, Harvey Dent,” he said, extending his hand. Bree hesitantly reached her hand out and shook his.

                “Sorry, my hand’s a bit….sticky from the coffee,” she laughed, and she heard him chuckle.

                “Oh, I’m Brianna Taylor, but you can just call me Bree…” she said, glancing back down at her slightly torn cup.

                “Well, Bree, how about….I buy you a new cup of coffee?”

                “Oh, _no_ , I’m just fine. If anything, I owe you one,” she said with a light smile. He reached into his pocket.

                “Alright then, how about this: heads I buy you a new cup, tails you buy me one,” he said, producing a coin from his pocket with a charismatic grin. She couldn’t help but laugh and she gave a shrug as she nodded.

                “Okay, but I can’t be gone long. My friend other there will start to worry,” she quipped.

                He flicked the coin into the air and caught it in his palm before turning it onto the back of his hand.

                “Oh, look, _heads._ Looks like I’m going to be the one buying you coffee,” he said, flashing a dazzling smile.  Bree let out a short laugh.

                “Alright,” she said shaking her head as she tossed her broken cup into the trash.

                He came back a moment later, a nicer latte in his hand.

                “Thanks, but once again I really think I should have bought you the coffee.”

                “Ah, ah, ah,” he said, pointing upward, “Fate has spoken,” he finished.

                “It’s nice to meet you, Bree, but I’ve got to run,” he said flashing another smile as he waved. She waved back, standing there stupidly, trying to process what had just happened. She blinked for a moment, holding her coffee, before she realized Jessica was still waiting for her in the booth. When she slid back into the booth, facing Jessica, she was silent and simply covered her face with her hands.

                Suddenly Jessica burst into laughter.

                “Oh, god, what was that?” she said between giggles.  “He was _cute_.”

                “I do have to say, I give myself in _A+_ in awkward interactions,” Bree muttered mutely into her hands.

                “Is that his number?” Jessica said, pointing to the cup. Bree furrowed her brows, her hands dropping from her face.

                “What? No, what are you—“she paused and turned the cup around, seeing a sequence of numbers written on the back, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

                Jessica grinned.

                “You should give him a call, he seemed pretty interested.”

                “You know I don’t do that sort of stuff, guys are so needy,” Bree laughed. “And emotions are gross.”

“Because god forbid you have a human connection,” Jessica added with a smile.

                “Hey, I can do connections just fine, thank you very much, but work and school keeps me busy,” Bree shrugged, staring at the lid of her coffee cup.

                “How is work, by the way? I bet GCPD gets a little crazy sometimes.”

                “Oh, it does I suppose….but I mostly just do some paperwork, run errands,” she took a sip of her drink, “…. _solve cold cases_ …” she added quietly under her breath.

                “Sorry, what was that?” Jessica sputtered, nearly spitting out her drink.

                “Run errands?”

                “No, after that,” Jessica shook her head.

                “It’s nothing, really. A coworker of mine and I just sometimes look over old cases…it’s just a bit of fun really, to keep us occupied when it gets slow,” Bree said with a long exhale of breath. It wasn’t a complete lie, but she didn’t want Jessica to spend any time worrying about her.

                “Oh, that sounds interesting! So you’re making some friends in the precinct?”

                Bree couldn’t help but to smile.

                “Oh, yeah, well….mostly just one. Everyone else just uses me for errands and such,” she waved dismissively. “His name’s Edward, and while he’s a bit of a character, I think you would like him a lot. He’s out there, but in a good way,” she added, resting her head against her hand as she grinned lazily, her finger tracing the top of her coffee lid.

                “I think someone has a crush.”

                “What? _No_ …. I just…like spending time with him, he’s fun,” Bree said with another light shrug.

                “Okay…just be careful. We both know you aren’t as emotionless as you’re trying to seem,” Jessica said with a small smirk as she brushed her bangs out of her face. Bree plopped her head down against the wooden table with a groan.

                “ _I know_ ,” her muffled voice rang despondently, “Ugghh… _people_.”

                Jessica leaned forward, her chin resting on her hands.

                “So, _Kingdom Hearts_ game, and _Labyrinth_ movie night tomorrow night?” she said.

                “ _You are so on_.”

//

                The next day, all hell broke loose in GCPD.

                The viper drug seemed to have been vastly distributed throughout the streets overnight. Bree had to practically dodge drugged out arrestees as she bolted to the relative safety of her desk on the second floor. She was very hesitant to glance over the railing of the stairs and watch several officers wrestling a viper-strung prostitute to the ground.

                “It’s _fascinating_ , isn’t it?”

                Bree half-jumped as Edward suddenly appeared, looming over her shoulder. She spun around and faced him.

                “ _Jeeze_ , you scared me!” she said, looking up at him as he straightened up his posture.

                “My, apologies,” he said, clasping his hands together, “However, it’s all quite exciting, dont’cha think?”

                Bree glanced back over her shoulder at the chaos downstairs, and back to him.

                “I suppose exciting would be an adequate word for it,” she said with a slightly anxious laugh, “…but you seem to be enjoying yourself…” she mused, her eyes flickering across his clearly amused face as he watched the officers struggle to maintain control over the precinct. He smiled, his eyes glimmering as they met hers.

                “I must admit it is all a bit fun,” he said with a small chuckle, “however, what is most intriguing is just how the viper serum works on the victims.”

                “Yeah, what’s up with the whole super strength thing?” she commented, folding her arms across her chest.

                “ _Well_ ,” he began excitedly, “Somehow the drug makes the user’s body burn calcium from their bones as an energy source, which gives them an extra boost of energy and a sense of euphoria. However, their body needs more calcium, hence their extreme craving for dairy products, but they can never consume enough. So, they eventually burn themselves out, their skeletons collapse, and they die!”

                “You are very excited about that…” she noted, her head tilted questioningly.

                “Well, of course I am, it’s amazing! No one has _ever_ seen anything like this before. It’s _fascinating_.”

                Despite herself, Bree couldn’t help but to smile at his excitement. She pushed the yells and sounds of chaos downstairs to the back of her mind.

                “So, do you have any idea who could have produced this kind of stuff?”

                “Oh, it would take a very sophisticated lab to produce this form of compound. Just a minute ago I sent Detective Bullock and Detective Gordon in the direction of the chemical company, WelZyn. They’re known for having the most state of the art facilities in Gotham,” Edward stated, moving and leaning over the rail next to her.

                “So, we just wait to see what happens?” Bree said quietly. Edward flashed a knowing smile.

                “Not having any regrets about not investigating the case, are we?” he chuckled softly, giving her a sidelong glance.

                “No…”

                “You don’t sound so certain about that,” Ed pressed, nudging her with his shoulder. She gave an exasperated sigh.

                “I needed a rest, so I don’t regret that. I just…don’t like sitting on the sidelines.”

                Edward was quiet for a moment, pensively tapping on the railing. Bree chewed on her lip a moment before she spoke up.

                “Are you….alright? You were acting a bit snappy yesterday,” she said, turning towards him. He was oddly silent again, but she saw his jaw clench as he pushed off the rail and looked at her. She sighed at his silence.

 

 

                “Edward, seriously, what’s wrong?” she said. He seemed to fidget uncomfortably for a moment before speaking up.

                “I-I’ve just been trying to talk to someone…”

                Bree’s face lit up, her brows rising.

                “Wait….oh….wow,” she said, a smile slowly stretching across her face, “Who?”

 Edward shrugged nervously, giving a small smile.

“Her name is Kristen….Kristen Kringle,” he said giggling lightly. Bree’s smile twitched downward slightly, but she continued to smile politely. He didn’t seem to notice.

“She works down in record keeping,” Edward continued, smiling.

                “Oh, wow, office romance. That’s crazy,” she laughed. He nodded, looking at the floor as he grinned.

 “Well, statistically it’s just as plausible as any other method of relationship building,” he said with a stiff shrug. Bree began to meander back towards her desk, Edward trailing behind her.

“I suppose so,” she relented, her fingers brushing the side of her desk as she plopped down in her seat. “Oh, umm…listen, I won’t be here for the next few days this next week.”

Edward’s smile fell.

“Really, why?”

“I have to stay home and work on my thesis…”

“Oh…alright.” He said, his tone slightly less chipper. She smiled.

“Think you can hold down the fort without me?” she laughed. A light smile twitched upon his lips once more.

“I shall try to manage,” he quipped, turning to leave.

Bree sat quietly at her desk, tapping idly on the wood. She stared at yesterday’s coffee cup still perched on the edge of her desk. The numbers glared at her in neat scrawl across the side of the cup. Her hand twitched toward it. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

She dialed the number.


	8. Chapter 8

 

                “ _Detective Bullock! Detective Bullock!”_ Edward said, tapping persistently on Harvey Bullock’s shoulder with the rounded tip of his pen, “Do you give up?”

                Detective Bullock spun around to face him, a grimace stretched across his face.

                “ _What?”_ he snapped. Edward lowered the pen slowly.

                “My riddle!” he chirped enthusiastically. Harvey’s face dropped as Edward continued, “A man has to cross a river with a wolf, a cabbage, and a goat—“

                “—Ed, please…what’s the time of death?” Harvey interjected, barely turning to look at him.

                Edward glanced down at his notebook, flicking through the pages.

                “The examiner pegs it just before three this morning—but he’s a bit eager with his coagulation markers, so I’d say closer to one,” he said, watching Detective Bullock frown as he stooped next to the railing.

                “Killer left her identification for us. Amanda Hastings 21 years old…”

                “She comes from money…”

                “Hmmhhhh,” Edward said with a nod, jotting down another note.

                “And I’m guessing she was the oldest in her family…”

                Edward paused his note taking, pursing his lips as he glanced up at the Detective.

                “Why is that…?” he said more quietly, his brows furrowed slightly.

                “The Goat always kills the first born. It’s all the same. Same MO, same victim choice, presentation it’s all the _same_. We’ve got a copycat,” Bullock huffed, standing with his head down and his hands in his pocket. Typically, Edward could not exactly say he prided himself in his ability to read people, but even he could recognize level of distress he saw in Bullock.

                “Are you alright, Detective?” Ed ventured as his he regarded the seemingly flustered man.

                “No, I’m _not_ alright!” he snapped, “I already solved this case…”

                Edward furrowed his brows, looking at Bullock with slight concern. Sure, the man was always angry…but this time it seemed a little different.

                “Where’s Gordan?” Bullock said, looking down at his phone. Edward’s expression lightened.

                “Apparently he’s not answering his phone,” Edward said, a smile stretching across his face as he chuckled softly.

                “He’s not answering his…you mean, I’m on the clock before the boy scout?”

                “It would appear so,” he said with a slight nod and smile.

                “This is freaking ridiculous…” the detective muttered with a swear under his breath.

                “Fine, I’ll tell you the answer—“ Edward chimed enthusiastically, “so the man crosses the river _with_ the wolf _and_ the cabbage, he _leaves_ the wolf, and he goes back—“

                “ _—Ed.”_ Bullock holds up his hand with a grimace, phone up to his ear. Edward’s smile drops and his eyes fall back to his notebook with a frown. He continued to examine the scene for the next few minutes. Eventually, Gordon had found his way to the scene. Bullock turned to Edward as he began the trek to his car.

                “And Nygma, let me know when they’re set up for the autopsy…”

                “Anything in particular you need me to look for—“

                “—Just CALL ME!” Harvey cut him, off, moving off the scene with Gordon by his side.

                Edward’s smile slowly faded, his hand falling stiffly to his side while the other tightly clutched his notebook to his chest.

                _Their loss._ He thought bitterly as he watched Bullock and Gordon storm off. With his help he was sure they would solve the case in no time. Of course, there was only so much he could do on his own without the extra resources. He’d prove them wrong though; he would find the missing link in this case, and Bullock and all the other ignoramuses they called officers would finally see his genius.

///

                When he eventually found himself back at GCPD, he paced restlessly, moving from his corner of the forensics lab to the nook that Bree typically occupied. He clamped his hands together, rubbing them pensively as he approached her empty desk with a heavy sigh.

                His thoughts were jumbled, bouncing around in his head at lightning speed. He wanted, no he _needed_ to say them aloud to hone them, to focus them into something more useful. However, every time a new idea sparked inside his head, he found himself rushing over to Bree’s desk only to be reminded of her absence once more. His hands found their way to his temple, rubbing vicariously in an attempt to soothe his restless mind.

                He had no problem with this before. Perhaps he had gotten too used to the delight of sharing his ideas with an actual willing listener. Going back to the silence was nearly deafening; _doable,_ but rather more difficult than anticipated.

                However, he just had to try. The real question was _who_ might listen. He tapped the empty desk pensively before he snapped his fingers, a smile stretching across his face as he thought of a certain strawberry blond that worked down in archives. _That’s it!_

                He nearly skipped down the stairs at the prospect of wooing her with his intellectual insight about the case at hand. He found himself fighting the urge to run down the stairs and through the hallway to the archival room. A goofy grin graced his features as he reached for the knob and pushed the door open.

                He walked in just as she spun around to head out the door. She slowed to a stop.

                “Mr. Nygma…”she greeted him dryly.

                “Ms. Kringle,” he said with a smile and a polite bow. She held the files tightly to her chest as she walked forward, her heels clicking softly on the marbled floors. Edward couldn’t help but to lean forward and try to catch her scent as she passed. He sighed softly. _Lilac_.

                He notice her reach for the doorknob and he realized he was about to lose his window of opportunity.

                “So, I’m just looking for all the information you have on the Goat murders from ten years ago,” he began, slowing to a stop next to a file cabinet. He yanked out one of the drawers. “Don’t you find it curious why someone would resurrect the myth of a centuries-old buggy man?” he said, his fingers skimming the tops of the files.

“And what _is_ it about the Goat that has made two separate people kill in his name?” he asked, gesturing with his hands and giving a shrug.

                “No, I don’t find it curious…” she said pointedly, looking back at Edward with a light frown. She turned back to the door.

                “I think I would like your parents,” he interjected, before she grasped the knob.

                “Excuse me?” she turned back, regarding him with narrowed eyes. Her horn-rimmed glasses glinted in the florescent light. He smiled.

                “ _Kringle_ , such a rare surname…most people changed it generations ago, out of embarrassment,” he said, turning and propping his arm atop the file cabinet, “But not only did your parents keep it—they called you _Kristen_. _Kristen Kringle_. They must be very humorous people.— _Humor_ is _so_ important, don’t you think?” he said with a large smile. She stared at him a moment, and blinked as she looked away.

                “Remember, you have to sign out any evidence you pull…” she said quietly.

                “How do you find anything at all in here? I mean, organizationally speaking, this place is in _shambles_ …” he said, looking around the room. Suddenly, her demeanor shifted, her eyes narrowing as she slowly strode back up to him.

                “ _I am warning you, Nygma._ I have everything exactly where I want it. I know where everything is…. _understand?_ ” she remarked lowly, a thinly veiled threat laced in her tone.

                “Naturally….bu _t_ , I can help you… _Kristen Kringle_ ,” he said, folding his hands in front of him as she moved closer to him. His heart fluttered slightly as she neared. _Oh_ , she was close enough to _touch_!

                “I doubt that _very_ much…” she said, her eyes flickering up his form before meeting his. With a light whip of her ponytail, she turned and sauntered to the door. His gaze followed her as she pushed it open.

“There really is a better way to do this…” he muttered to himself after the door clicked shut. He figured when she had first gotten the job the previous file keeper had handed the disorderly files down to Kristen and she had never bothered to fix it. Poor thing, having to learn where everything was in such a unkempt fashion.

                Just then an ingenious plan sprung about in his head. What if he were to take the time and arrange her files in a way that made systematic sense? Perhaps mathematical? He pondered this a moment before swiftly tossing the idea. No, he figured she may prefer a more organic, hierarchal approach.

                “Aha! Lateral expansion!” he snapped, smiling giddily at the prospect of earning her affection through such a considerate act.

                He plopped down on the floor and began his work…

 

///

 

                The delicate _click_ of the door made his ears perk up and he swung his head towards the sound. He looked up as he heard a sudden gasp and the dropping of a stack of papers. He grinned, meeting her gaze.

                “Oh, my god…” she muttered.

                “I’m improving your system! Implementing a rhizomatic index, with your case files classified by subject, but arranged more like the way a peat moss organism gross. You know… _laterally_.”

                He smiled and gestured with his hands, spreading his fingers outward.

                “I had this entire room organized…” she said, still clutching the box of files as she crept forward.

                “Yes, but now it will be rhizomatic… _lateral_ ,” he made his hand gesture once more.

                His smile fell as she dropped the box with a loud _thump._

“ _What_ did I _ever_ do to you, Nygma! What did I ever do that makes you come here with your endless notes, and suggestions, and _riddles, my God—the riddles!_ ” she shouted.

                “Are you trying to get me to quit?” she asked softly, her brow furrowed. Edward muttered a _no_ , scrambling to his feet. “You can’t want my job…”

                “No, no, no! I want you!” he said, flinging his arms desperately. Her face contorted in a mix of anger and confusion, and Edward stared at her with wide eyes.

                “….to _keep_ your job….and to have it, _here_ ….for working,” he finished, furrowing his brows and pursing his lips as he tried to save his poorly-timed confession. His lips pressed into a tight line as she closed her eyes, folding her arms tightly across her chest. He felt a pang of remorse and he swallowed stiffly.

                “Okay….I’m getting the sense….that this was somehow…. _inappropriate_ ,” he ventured carefully. She looked up at him, frowning, and her hand clutching her sweater across her chest.

                “ _You_ are _so…odd.”_

He looked downcast as he shuffled over a pile of files.

                “I’ll just take my non-hierarchical data paradigms out of your hair….and leave you to your work,” he said quietly, stepping over the stacks of files. He tripped over one pile as he passed her, causing her to jump slightly. As he reached the door, he looked back once more, his lips pressed into a tight line. She didn’t even bother looking up at him. His eyes flickered to the floor and he took his leave.

                “ _You_ are so…. _odd._ ”

                His tight-lipped frown deepened as he closed the door behind him.

                _That didn’t quite go as planned…_

                He mused silently, his tall frame hunched and his eyes downcast. His throat bobbed as he gave a hard swallow, trying to mask his disappointment. Wordlessly, he made his way to his small corner of the forensics lab, avoiding eye contact with everyone….Not that they said a word to him anyway. Every step felt a little heavier than usual, his mind clouded by her words.

                _“You are so…..odd.”_

                He slid his glasses off of his face as he sat down in his little dim lit corner, and rubbed his forehead. He reached down and idly knocked the small metal pendulum perched on the desk, watching the tiny spheres collide against each other. Yes, he knew he was a little different than everyone else, but it wasn’t as if it was something he could help. It was simply how his brain was wired. Yet….he always tried _so hard_ ; trying to gain the approval of Kristen, of his peers…. of everyone.

                A light rap on the door made him freeze. He raised his head, glancing at the door.

                “Come in…” he said flatly. He saw the knob rattle slightly before the door cracked open. A familiar face peered through.

                “Edward?” Bree chimed, leaning inside with a smile. He reflected her smile dimly, it not quite reaching the crinkles around his eyes.

                “Ms. Taylor,” he said softly with a nod. Bree’s smile slowly faded as she stepped inside, letting the door close behind her with a soft _click_. He saw her eyes flicker across his face with scrutiny as she stepped closer, her arms crossed across her chest.

                “Ed…are you okay?” she asked as she stopped next to him, grabbing the rolling chair from the counter beside him and plopping down. Her dirty blond tresses fell in a disheveled halo of curls, illuminated softly by the soft fluorescents as she leaned forward, concern painted across her features. For a moment he was slightly taken aback by her question. It wasn’t her question that was innately surprising….but the simple matter that for once it was directed at him.

                He smiled softly, the light catching the shadows on his face, exaggerating his features.

                “No…”

                “What happened?” she asked.

                “Whoever said something happened?”

                Bree shrugged.

                “No one, but judging by your reaction, something did, didn’t it?”

                His lips twitched upward a fraction, genuinely this time.

                “I tried to impress Kristen…”

                Bree’s eyes widened slightly.

                “Oh no…what did you do?”

                He sighed.

                “I just…tried to reorganize her filing system. I was trying to help! I arranged it more in the way a peat moss organism grows, you know…. _laterally,_ ” he said with an elaborate gesture of his hands. Bree chuckled, her head falling in her hands as she groaned lightly.

                “ _Edwaaaaaard_ …you can’t just do that!” she said, looking back up at him. He frowned.

                “Well, I know that now, _evidently_ ,” he muttered admonishingly, “Even if my system would have been far more logical.”

                Bree snorted a short laugh.

                “I bet it would, but would it be for her, if she didn’t know how it was organized? It would take forever to find anything; she wouldn’t know where to start!”

                “ _I_ could show her.”

                “I bet you could…but how did she react?”

                He frowned again, reaching down and grabbing his glasses.

                “She…was rather cold in her assessment…” he said flatly, his lips pressed into a tight line. He slid his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose and glanced at the question mark mug perched on the edge of his desk. Bree was quiet for a moment, and when he looked back at her, her eyes flickered across his face. She looked down, tapping her knee pensively.

“You know….you’re never going to please everyone. There’s always going to be somebody that you have to deal with that may not like you. That’s just how it is. But…the way I see it, there’s no point in hanging around people that don’t make you feel good about yourself,” Bree said softly, a small smile creeping across her face.

“And maybe…you don’t need to waste your time with people like her.”

His brows rose slightly as he regarded her as if she was some strange creature from another world.

“Then who should I _waste_ my time with? People like you?” he inquired. Bree shrugged with a small smirk lingering on her lips.

“That depends, do _I_ make you feel good about yourself?” she raised an eyebrow challengingly.

He stared at her for a moment, trying to gauge her.

“Yes….I…I suppose you do.”

Bree smiled. She slowly moved to stand.

                “ _Well_ , there you have it then,” she said, giving a light wave of her hand as she turned and walked towards the door.

                He cleared his throat softly as he watched her take her leave. He didn’t look away until the door swung shut behind her.

                “Yes…. _there_ you have it,” he said quietly to himself, a grin slowly stretching across his face as he reclined back in his chair.

                ///

                Later, he found himself pleasantly surprised and in good spirits when Detective Bullock asked for assistance in narrowing down the suspect pool of the Goat murders. He hummed light heartedly as he took a sip out of his new favorite mug and sauntered over to the autopsy table.

                “Raymond Earl,” he quipped with a smile, taking a sip from his mug. His chest swelled with pride as the detectives moved out to hunt down Earl. _They_ had gone to _him_. Could it be that they were finally beginning to recognize his brilliance? He smiled as he moved from the autopsy lab towards the main precinct. An idea swept into his mind.

                He found himself jaunting up the stairs just in time to see Bree standing from her desk, pulling her long coat around her shoulders, readying to leave.

                “Do _you_ think that it’s interesting that two different people would resurrect a centuries-old buggy man and kill in his name?” Edward chimed, walking up to her desk. Bree half-gasped in surprise before raising her eyebrows questioningly.

“Ed! Well, yes, it is rather curious by nature,” she said with a laugh, a small smile.

“Those were my sentiments as well,” he said in a tone resembling relief. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

“Oh…hey, there,” she chuckled, into his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his lean form. She let him hold her for another moment before she gently tested his grip.

“Edward…I _do_ have to go home now,” she said delicately, her voice muffled by his suit. He muttered a quick so _rry_ as he released her. She smiled.

“See you later, Ed,” she said, wrapping her scarf around her neck and grabbing her bags.

He smiled softly as he watched her leave, his fingers idly tracing the chipped wood of her desk.

“Well, _there_ you have it…” he said quietly.


	9. Chapter 9

Slamming her laptop shut, Bree groaned, her head falling dejectedly onto the kitchen counter in her flat.

                _Done._ She thought with a sigh, pushing herself up off the counter after another moment.

                The whole ordeal took much more time than she had anticipated. Of course, that hadn’t stopped her from waiting till the last possible moment to work on it. She had eaten through the better part of her off days at the precinct, and still had only just finished it. Still, it was nice to give an interlude to her thesis work and go to see the latest buzz at the precinct was. She swung open the refrigerator door, snatching the eggs and cheese.

                _Nothing like a good omelet and tea to soothe the nerves_. She mused, humming lightly as she plopped them on the counter and rummaged through her cabinet for the pans. She froze as she heard her phone buzz, causing her heart to leap. She cursed quietly, urging herself not to leap at it. Biting her lip, she tried to calmly walk around the counter towards the phone. It was probably Jessica, or perhaps her mother anyway…

                She had called Harvey days before and left a message. She hadn’t heard anything sense and assumed he wasn’t actually interested….but she also was never really the one to make the first call. In fact, she hadn’t really talked to many guys in a date scenario, so really she wasn’t quite sure how it was done. It took a burst of courage to press call and leave that message, but she had marginally regretted it sense. She hated not knowing.

                With a deep breath, she picked up the phone.

                “ _Hello_?”

                “ _Hey, is this Brianna?”_

                Her stomach dropped.

                “Ah, yes, yes it is!” she said, brandishing her spatula in her free hand. She heard a light chuckle over the line.

                “Well hey, this is Harvey. Sorry I missed your call. I’ve been meaning to get back to you, but things have been a bit crazy in city hall lately…” he trailed off.

                “Oh, yeah, that’s fine,” she said dismissively, “You work in city hall?”

                “Yeah, I’d love to show you around some time,” he said with a good natured chuckle, “I have an office and everything.”

                Bree smiled.

                “If you insist,” she laughed.

                “So….what do you say we get together tomorrow afternoon? Coffee? I know you at least like that,” he added. Bree chewed on her lip briefly

                “Yeah, that would be great!” she said after a moment, “I’ll call you after I get off work.”

                “Great! See you then.”

                She stared at her phone for a good thirty seconds before she snapped it shut, shaking her head.

                _“Come on….get your shit together, Bree…”_ she muttered to herself, turning on the stove and reaching for the eggs.

 

                ///

               

                “ _Feed me and I live, give me a drink and I die. What am I?”_

“Why do I feel like _now_ you’re going easy on me?” Bree said, narrowing her eyes slightly in mock-suspicion.

                “Well, that is certainly not the answer, I can tell you that,” Edward quipped, locking his hands behind his back, “Or I can give you a harder one, if you like?”

                Bree quickly shook her head.

                “No, no, no….I’m not complaining, just observing…..I’d say…it’s _fire_?”

                “Correct!” he beamed, leaning his lanky form over her desk.

                “What case are you working on his time?”

                Bree looked down to her desk and sighed, eyeing the papers with distain.

                “None…unfortunately. Some lazy cops didn’t file their paperwork so I’m going back and reorganizing it,” she said before furrowing her brows. “Just out of curiosity, how do you always have time to come and talk to me for so long every day?”

                “Oh, my actual work, I finish quite fast. Everything else is in fact extraneous additions I give myself to stay busy!” he said with a wide grin. Just then, a man with short cut hair and a standard suit passed by and Ed nearly jumped.

                “Detective Gordon! _Detective Gordon!”_ he called out after the man. However, the man seemed rather focused, his face stern as he walked down the stairs. Bree furrowed her brows as Edward turned back towards her with a frown.

                “Normally I don’t indulge myself in nagging gut feelings….but I can’t help but think that Detective Gordon is in a spot of trouble…” Edward trailed off.

                “What makes you say that….?” Bree said, catching his gaze uneasily.

                “Well….after you left yesterday, a man known as Oswald Cobblepot appeared at the precinct. Apparently Montoya and Allan from the MCU thought Gordon killed that man…..that is…until he showed up.”

                “That’s ridiculous!” she said, folding her arms. She glanced down the stairs at Gordon, who seemed to be discussing something with Captain Essen.

                “I know….he’s probably one of the few good cops in this room,” Ed conceded, looming over her shoulder as she stood and moved to the railing.

                “I wonder wh—“

                _“Hello everyone…my name is Victor Zsasz. I’m sent here personally by Don Carmine Falcone himself on a matter of deep concern for him. I am here for Jim Gordon and no one else….thank you. Hey, Jim! Jiiiiiiiiim.”_

Bree’s wide eyes met Edward’s for the briefest moment before spinning around and looking down the stairs at the man standing on an officer’s desk…

                In the corner of her eye, she saw Edward begin to move. She shot her arm out, catching him by the sleeve.

                “ _Ed_ ….” She said quietly, pulling him back to where he stood. Her eyes remained locked on Zsasz’s figure and the two women she presumed to be his assistants who stood behind him.

                The entire precinct was deadly silent as Jim Gordon stepped out from Captain Essen’s office and faced off with the stranger.

                “ _Hi Jim…_ ” the bald man in black waved with a dark smile, “Relax…I’m supposed to take you in alive. Don Falcone wants to talk…”

                “Tell Falcone we’ll talk…but not today,” Gordon replied brusquely.

                “Don’t… _be_ that way…” the man in black’s jaw clenched and he flexed his hands. “Alive is a very broad category. A man with no hands is still alive.”

                “Go ahead, try something. There are at least a dozen cops in here,” Jim Gordon’s voice boomed out over the silence.

                “ _Everybody out,”_ the man in black said evenly, not turning away from Gordon. Only a few people shifted and Bree stepped back slightly from the railing.

                “ _Please?_ ” the man growled in a sudden shout, causing the room to clear quickly. The officers shuffled to the nearest exit. Bree’s brows furrowed.

                “I can’t believe it…” she whispered under her breath.

                Gordon’s face remained that of sheer determination. Bree saw him mutter something to Captain Essen, and after hesitating a moment, she left his side as well. The tension was palpable as the men stared at each other. Bree slowly stepped back, towards the frozen Ed behind her.

She gasped as the first shot shattered the silence and echoed through the precinct.

                “ _Get down!”_ she shouted, pushing Edward away from the railing and tackling him to the ground. Edward’s eyes were wide with shock as they lay on the floor next to her desk, Bree still atop him.

                “Rule one…get low,” she said quietly, her head dropping onto Edward’s chest as more shots echoed through the large hall.

                “We need to help him!” Edward whispered desperately, attempting to sit up.

                _“No!_ _You can help later, but you won’t be much help if you get shot!”_ she retorted, shoving him back to the ground.

                “Okay…yikes, no need to be so forceful.”

                “Oh, shut it. We’re in the middle of a _goddamn shootout_.”

                There was the clattering of doors, then the sound of gunshots more distant than before. Then an eerie calm engulfed the precinct.

                Bree realized she had been holding her breath and exhaled shakily. She realized her head still rested atop Edward’s chest and her body was practically sprawled over him. With her ear pressed against his chest, she felt the light pitter-patter of his heart before she tentatively sat up, scanning the room.

                No one remained.

                “They’re gone…” she breathed. Her eyes flickered around once more as she climbed off of Edward.

                “Sorry about that,” she muttered as she scrambled to her feet and turned back to him with her hand extended. He seemed slightly flustered, through from the events or scenario she couldn’t tell.

                He took her hand and sprang up from the ground. She saw his jaw clench as he looked over the railing. Papers were strewn about, and an assortment of brass casings and shattered glass decorated the floor. The scene seemed unsettlingly surreal, and gave the precinct a ghost-town like quality.

                “W-we should try to find the Captain…or someone,” she heard Edward speak from behind her as she couldn’t face the scene any longer and turned to her desk. She nodded silently, spinning back towards him with her arms folded across her chest.

                “Let’s go…”

                They moved down the staircase, beginning to see movement from behind doors. Somber faces peered through windows, checking to see if the visitors had left.

                _Cowards._

                Bree thought brusquely, her lips pressed together with distaste. However, soon after she felt a tug of regret.

                _They were just trying to save their own skins…I didn’t jump in to save him either…_

She mused, kicking a casing on the floor as they reached the main level. Broken glass crunched under her boots.

                _But I’m not an officer. I haven’t sworn any oaths to protect my own._

The internal debate raged on within her, split between a slight level of sympathy and a higher level of disappointment in the officers she had held in high regard.

                “Captain!” Edward’s voice rang out in the silent precinct, pulling Bree out of her reverie. Bree raised her gaze to find Captain Essen wandering towards them, her arms folded tightly across her chest. A deep frown fell upon her features, making her seem much older, and wearier than any other time she had seen her. She nodded toward them, slowing to a stop.

                “Captain…” Bree said softly. Essen’s eyes rested on her.

“I think you should go home, Ms. Taylor. You’ve seen enough for today,” Captain Essen said tiredly. Bree’s eyes flickered downcast as she nodded silently. The Captain looked up, past her.

                “Ed…you can go too. I think we have enough mess to keep up with,” she said with a sigh, walking past them.

                Bree looked back up, her eyes widening slightly, and then glanced at Edward. He fidgeted in his spot, his arms hanging stiffly by his sides as he furrowed his eyebrows.

                She exhaled unevenly. She moved back up the stairs to her workspace and grabbed her belongings and coat. When she arrived back at the front of the precinct she found that Edward seemed to be waiting for her.

                “Okay….well I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then,” she said to him with a soft smile, turning toward the front door.

“Actually—could I walk you home? Or back to your apartment, or wherever you’re going…?” Edward began, stumbling over his words as he called out behind her. Bree paused, and pivoted back towards him with a quirked brow. Edward blinked a few times before looking down.

“…..Sorry, never mind. Forget I even asked—“

                “—Yes.”

`               “Wait…did you mean—“

                “Yes! Come on, genius, let’s try to beat the rain,” she quipped with a lopsided grin, glad to find something to distract from the somber atmosphere of the precinct. She looped her arm around his and tugged a bewildered Edward towards the door. She had decided there was something incredibly satisfying about surprising someone who always presumed to know so much. Perhaps that was why she enjoyed pushing his buttons to see what would bewilder him the most.

                She released his arm as she pushed open the door into the brisk Gotham air.

                “So, why the sudden need to walk me home?” Bree laughed, but it felt empty, like she was trying to completely forget what she had witnessed minutes before. It felt good to act normal, even if she knew she could never look at the cops in the precinct the same again.

                Bree’s eyes flickered to Ed as he walked silently, giving a light shrug.

                “It’s safe to say I spend the vast majority of my time at the precinct…I almost am not sure what to do with extra time off…” he confessed, looking ahead as she led the way. She smiled softly, thinking of the time they had spent together investigating and the realization that was likely a bigger deal to him than she had previously thought.

                “Okay…but you aren’t _always_ at the precinct. What do you usually do with your time off?”

                He looked down as he smiled, giggling softly.

                “Well…crossword puzzles….video games. Oh, wow, I _love_ video games,” he added, his smile broadening as he waved one of his arms, the other one clutching his small brown notebook tightly to his chest. “I think each one presents a unique challenge.”

                Bree pursed her lips together, nodding.

                “I usually play for the storylines…” she commented. He nearly skidded to a stop, his eyes shooting up to hers.

                “You _play_?” he said excitedly.

                She raised her eyebrows and gave a meek shrug.

                “Marginally…I’m not super great at it, but it’s fun.”

                They slowed to a halt by the bus stop.

                Edward smiled giddily.

                “It just takes practice….maybe we should get together some time and I could show you some pointers!”

                Bree couldn’t help but to laugh as they climbed onto the bus.

                “Sure, that would be great.”

                They chattered amiably on the short ride across town. It wasn’t long before they arrived on the doorstep to her complex. She found it amusing that they had already saved each other’s lives and he hadn’t ever even seen her flat.

                “Hey….thanks for walking be back….I needed that,” Bree confessed with a sigh, “It’s been a stressful day for everyone.”

                Ed smiled, giving her a nod.

                “It has been quite….unusual.”

                “Well, unusual seems to have become the new usual for Gotham,” she chuckled, stepping forward and giving him a quick hug. “See ya!”

                She disappeared through the door before he stuttered a reply.

 

/ / /

               

                Bree plopped down onto her unmade bed with a groan. She laid there a moment, still in her work clothes, letting her hair sprawl out messily over the pillows. She stared blankly at the ceiling, reveling in the nothingness after such an exhausting day. She fought the urge to rub her temple as her head throbbed with unanswered questions. Her eyes fluttered closed with a sigh.

                Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Her eyes shot open.

                _Harvey._

“Shit,” she muttered, rolling over and fishing her phone from her pants pocket. She clicked the receive call button and her voice brightened several notes.

                “ _Hey!”_ she chimed, sounding more cherry than she felt as she rubbed her forehead.

                “ _Hey, Bree! We’re still on for this afternoon, right?”_ Harvey’s voice sounded through the phone.

                “Oh, yeah, absolutely. I’m sorry, I meant to call you earlier, but it’s been a really weird day,” she said with a light chuckle as she sat up.

                “No, that’s fine.  I’m just getting out of the office. Say we meet at Rochester park in twenty minutes or so?”

                “Yeah, that would be great! I’ll see you then,” she said with a soft smile.

                “Great!”

                The line went dead and Bree limply dropped her hand onto her bed. She swung her legs off the side of her bed and blinked, trying to regain her composure at the sudden shift of gravity.

                _God, I need some coffee._ She mused, moving across the large room of her flat to the kitchen side. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him….she just felt a little too exhausted to put up a good front for a guy she met once. Still, her stomach fluttered a little that

                She didn’t really go on many dates….actually she didn’t really go out much at all. Recently, it seemed that she was so focused on making the right steps career-wise that she paid little attention to anything else.  That is, aside from meeting up with people for an absurd amount of coffee, and occasionally bringing her medical school friends lunch.

                _Surely one date won’t hurt._ She thought, rolling her neck as she grabbed a glass of water. She gulped it down and hurried out the door.

                / / /

 

                The sun peaked out behind the breaking overcast of the Gotham sky. It had warmed up significantly from earlier in the day, but Bree still hugged her coat tightly to herself as she arrived in the park. Her eyes flickered about, idly watching fellow park-dwellers and the occasional homeless person.

                “Bree!”

Suddenly, she felt a light touch on her shoulder. Instinctually, she spun around, her hand latching onto the offending wrist. She looked up, her eyes meeting a wide-eyed Harvey’s.

                “Oh!” she said dumbly, her face flushing slightly as she realized she had his arm in a vice-grip.

                “Whoa, easy there,” he said with a good natured laugh. His large eyes sparkled with amusement as she slowly released his wrist. He smiled. “Glad to see you could make it.”

                “Yeah…sorry about that…you know, you can never be too careful in Gotham,” she said, clearing her throat as she shoved her hands back into her pockets.

                “Well then, I pity the mugger who has to go toe to toe with you,” he said, a playful smirk on his lips.

                She returned his smile with an uneasy laugh.

                _At least I didn’t punch him or something. That would make for an awkward date._

                “What do you say we grab that coffee we talked about?”

                “That would be wonderful.”

 

                / / /

 

                Conversation flowed freely as they sat in a small booth by the window. Harvey had a sort of natural charisma that created seamless transitions from one topic to the next. Bree had to admit, it _was_ rather refreshing to not have to work so hard for conversation. And _yet_ ….she couldn’t help but to feel as if it was almost _too_ easy for him. There seemed to be a lingering note in the back of her mind; the persisting question of how much of his front was him and how much was just _that, a front_.

                However, she didn’t ponder it too deeply as she laughed at another one of his jokes.

                “So, what about this crazy day at work you keep mentioning?” he asked lightly, taking another long sip of his coffee. She bit back a sigh, her smile slowly drooping.

                “Yeah….I don’t know if I mentioned it earlier, but I work down at GCPD.”

                Harvey raised his eyebrows, setting his drink back down.

                “I’m just an intern,” she waved dismissively, “but I don’t know if you heard about the little fiasco this afternoon…”

                “You know…I actually think I may have. A man came in for James Gordon, didn’t he?”

                “That’s right…it was a little overwhelming. I had never seen a live shootout before, and I was on the ground of the second floor,” she said with a sigh. It was only half a lie. Harvey’s eyes widened a fraction.

                “Well, I’m glad you’re okay.”

                Bree smiled lightly, reaching for her cup.

                “I really shouldn’t be surprised though. Things like that are always possibilities in law enforcement, especially in this city,” she said with a shrug. “So, you work down at city hall? What do you do, run errands, grab coffee?” she took a sip from her cup.

                “I’m a city councilman.”

                She nearly spit out her coffee.

                “Oh my god, I’m sorry,” she sputtered, setting down her cup and reaching for the napkins, “Wow, I’m an idiot, I didn’t mean it like that. I just assumed because you’re so young—“

                Harvey put up a single finger, a smirk playing on his lips.

                “Don’t worry about it. I know what you meant,” he said reassuringly.

                She groaned quietly and let her head fall on her hand propped up on the table, her hair falling messily into her face. He laughed as she peered up at him through her fingers.

                After a moment, she sat back up, snatching back up her cup with eyes narrowed slightly, trying to keep a straight face as she made eye contact with him and drained the rest of her coffee. He raised his eyebrows challengingly. She plopped the empty cup back onto the wooden table with a light _plunck._ They stared at each other a moment before she gave up and cracked a smile, looking down at her lap.

                “I should probably head back soon…” she mused as she glanced out the window at the now dark sky. When she looked back, Harvey was grabbing his coat.

                They moved outside, the stinging chill hitting her cheeks once more. She turned to face Harvey.

                “Well, hey…I had a good time. I hope I didn’t totally bore you with my less than exciting antics. It’s been a pleasure,” she said with a lopsided grin.

                “Absolutely not,” he quipped, taking hold of her hand with a light squeeze, “The pleasure was mine,” he added, smiling softly. He leaned down, giving her a light kiss on the cheek. He released her hand, his fingers brushing against hers as it slid back to his side. Bree didn’t know what else to do, so she nodded silently. She couldn’t fully blame her slight flush on the cold.

                “See you around,” she said with a smile as she started to back away. She turned her back to him, making her way back to her flat.

                “I’ll give you a call!” he shot back at her. She didn’t even turn around, but smiled softly to herself.

                “At least you didn’t accidently hit him in the face…” she muttered to herself, shaking her head softly as she trekked down the block. She shoved her hands in her pockets and watched the wisps of her breath trail out into the brisk air like small ghosts against the breeze.

 

 

**You are all fantastic and beautiful. Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews, and It’s been crazy with finals and such, but I hoped you liked this nice long one!**

**Also, I have an 8tracks playlist for this story up. My username there is**

**Ofmonstersandmagpies**

**Feel free to PM me if you want the full list without having to go through the whole playlist, and it’s also up on the Bree blog.**

 


	10. Chapter 10

                Scattered flakes gently wafted through the breeze drifting through the frigid night air. The icy bits landed with light stings on Bree’s wind-burnt cheeks as she gripped her coat more tightly into her form and tucked her chin lower into her scarf. She clutched a bottle of champagne to her chest as she hurried to the address on the notecard. She had never been one for work functions, but it was Christmas, and she hadn’t been to a good holiday party in some time. It seemed flattering that anyone even bothered inviting her, considering her lingering status as an intern.

                Her eyes flickered upward towards a large brick building as she slowed to a stop. Through the white wisps of her breath, she glanced at the building number, comparing it to the card in her hand before nearly skipping up the steps. She fumbled with the bottle as she reached out and rang the doorbell. Muffled voices and various other noises could be heard through the door.

                After a moment, the door swung open to reveal a slightly intoxicated Detective Bullock, leaning on the door and grinning lopsidedly. He spread his arms widely in a welcoming fashion, his drink sloshing slightly.

                “ _Heyyyyyy_ , it’s the intern! Glad you could make it!” he said with a beaming smile. “ _And_ , you brought more _booze_! I knew you were a good one, kid,” he added, taking the bottle from her hands and stumbling slightly into the hallway away from the door. Bree bit back a laugh as she followed Bullock into a larger room, crowded with officers out of uniform.

                She smiled softly as her eyes met a few officers’ eyes and they nodded politely in her direction. She began to slightly regret her decision to come after all. This sort of small-talk function certainly was _not_ her forte.

                _Shake it off, and just go for it._ She mused silently to herself, deciding to push through and socialize anyway. There was a high likelihood that everyone else there had also only come out of social obligation. She put a smile and gave her best attempt at chatting amiably over wine and oeuvres that no one really ever became full over.

                After a few minutes it seemed to become easier. She even had the chance to put a few names that she had seen on paper to faces. However, she wasn’t sure if it was the small talk that became easier, or the wine that made it easier. As she took a bite from a mini-sandwich, she glanced up and noticed a familiar figure looming in the corner of the room. She tossed her paper plate into the garbage and wandered over.

                “Ed?”

                The tall, lanky man looked up from his empty plate. She smiled as his eyes widened slightly as they met hers.

                “Bree!” he said with a smile, raising his head.

                “I didn’t think you would come, I figured you wouldn’t like this sort of thing,” she admitted with a light shrug. His smile only twitched downward slightly as he pondered this a moment, and he seemed to simply reply with his own small shrug.

                “Typically I would, but I don’t usually get invited to a lot of these sorts of social functions…”

                “Well, hey, most people don’t really like them anyway,” she reassured him with a light smile, a pang of guilt shooting through her. “I’m glad you came though, it’s nice to know that I won’t have to have awkward small talk the entire night,” she commented, looking over her shoulder at the small crowd of detectives and officers. When she looked back at Ed, she noticed him shuffling awkwardly in his spot. She laughed quietly as she noticed a small Christmas tree button pinned to his usual grey suit jacket.

“Interesting plant, mistletoe; _did you know_ that it is actually a hemi- _parasite_ that latches onto trees? The tradition of actually kissing under mistletoe was derived from old Druid, and later Norse tradition that found its way into English society in the 18 th and 19th century….”  Edward rambled uncomfortably as his eyes lingered above the doorway they had found themselves under. Suddenly, she realized why he was acting flustered as she glanced up at the item he eyed above their heads.

“Of course, the original tradition was that every time someone kissed under it, they would remove a berry. When there were no berries left, there would be no more kisses……” he trailed off, directing his gaze back down towards her. He chuckled quietly. “This mistletoe doesn’t even have any berries on it. It may as well just be a bush hanging from string.”

An unidentifiable emotion shot through her as he looked down at his feet, clearing his throat. It was an odd cocktail of relief and disappointment.

“Yeah, I doubt I’d even be able to tell what it was if it wasn’t dangling over the doorway,” she laughed uneasily. “Hey…It’s pretty crowded in here, are there any other rooms we’re allowed to go in?”

Edward pursed his lips together, adjusting his glasses slightly as he pushed open the slightly ajar door and peered into the unoccupied room

“I suppose this is fair game…”

                They wandered through the doorway, and Bree peeked inside the dimly lit room. It was dark aside from a few candles, sending warm light cascading across the room and illuminating an old-looking grand piano.

                “Are we allowed to go in here?”

                “Since when have you ever cared about trespassing?” he rebuked flatly, sending her an admonishing look over his shoulder.

                “I don’t want to be _rude_ …”

                “I’m assuming we should be fine, considering the music and that they even bothered lighting the room.”

                “Oh, fine,” she relented, wandering over to the piano in the corner of the room. She trailed a finger atop the old wood, delicately lifting the cover over the keys.

                “Do you play?” Edward inquired from behind her. She snorted a small laugh and shook her head.

                “Not really….I think I may have taught myself one song via YouTube but that is definitely the extent of my musical experience,” she admitted with a wry smirk, “Okay….well that’s sort of a lie. I used to do church choir back in high school.”

                “ _You_ were in a church choir?” Edward laughed, a smile spreading across his face as he neared the bench.

                “Well, yeah, what’s that supposed to mean?” she retorted, “Do _you_ play?”

                “Actually, I do.”

                Bree raised her brows with a small smile.

                “Alright, let’s hear some then.”

                “Only if I can hear a choir song,” he quipped good-naturedly. She shot him a glare that could freeze hell over. To her surprise, he held her gaze, a smirk playing on his lips. She narrowed her eyes slightly and relented.

                _When did he decide to get ballsy?_ She pondered silently and cursed under her breath.

                “Oh, _fine,”_ she conceded, taking a seat on the bench, “But you’re playing…”

                “But I don’t know the tune…”

                “—I’ll write it down, it’s only a few chords. Do you have a pen on you?” she asked, already knowing the answer. Of course he did—he _always_ had a pen on him.

                True to her deduction, he reached into his pocket and produced his notebook and a pen.

                She hesitated as he handed them to her and stared at him warily.

                “Are you sure you want me to write in in your notebook….?” She let her words hang as she looked questioningly into his eyes. She knew he took the notebook everywhere with him and it seemed to mean a lot to him. He pressed his lips together briefly as he silently shook his head.

                “It’s fine…”

                “ _Okaaaaaaayy_ then,” she laughed quietly as she flicked open the leather cover and flipped to the back for a blank page. She uncapped the pen and began to scrawl the rough chord progressions into a corner of the page, not wanting to take up too much space in his prized notebook.

                “So, did you have any particular Christmas traditions back home?” she chatted amiably as she wrote.

                “We never really celebrated…”

                “Oh….well that’s fine too! Does your family get together or anything?”

                “I don’t really _know_ ….they don’t really talk to me….maybe they do, but I don’t think so,” he said quietly. Her hand paused as she slowly looked up. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, his eyes downcast. She gently handed back his notebook and pen.

                “Here you go…” she said quietly, not quite sure how to respond to that. Sure, her own family had its issues, but at the end of the day she knew people still cared for her…

                She watched Edward as he slid onto the bench next to her, his hands spread dexterously over the keys and falling into a position that seemed as natural to him as breathing. He struck the first chord, looking over to her for affirmation that it was indeed correct. She nodded silently, scooting up further on the bench. She took a shaky breath, an odd nervousness taking hold of her.

_“Our families huddle closely, betting warmth against the cold_

_And our bruises seem to surface_

_Like mud beneath the snow…”_

She began, watching as Edward’s hands danced across the keys. She could feel his eyes baring down on her as she paused and continued softly.

_“So we sing carols softly,_

_As sweet as we know;_

_A prayer that our burdens will lift as we go._

_Like young love still waiting under mistletoe._

_We welcome December with tireless hope.”_

                With each line she found herself slowly regretting her song choice. She had always found it beautiful with its striking sense of poetic honesty, but she wasn’t quite sure if it was what he should hear after his most recent admission to her…..but then again she could never really figure him out.

_“Let our bells keep on ringing_

_Making angels in the snow_

_And may the melody disarm us_

_When the cracks begin to show…_

_And like the petals in our pockets_

_May we remember who we are:_

_Unconditionally cared for_

_By those who share our broken hearts…”_

For the briefest moment, she looked up and met his eyes. She dared herself to stare back, but she couldn’t handle the sudden level of vulnerability behind his wide dark eyes, and she stared back at the paper resting above the keys.

_“The table is set and all glasses are full._

_Though pieces go missing, may we still feel whole._

_We’ll built new traditions in place of the old_

_Because life without revision will silence our souls.”_

Bree looked at him closely for a moment, noting his jaw clench slightly as his lips pressed into a straight line. She scooted closer to him on the bench and looped her arm around his elbow. She leaned up and pressed a lingering kiss on his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder. She smiled as she felt his eyes looking down on her and squeezed his arm a little tighter.

                “Merry Christmas, Edward.”

_Like fresh plates and clean slates,_

_Our future is white._

_New Year’s resolutions will reset tonight._

_…_

_.._

_._


	11. Chapter 11

“No, I told you already, everything is _fine_ ,” Bree insisted over the phone. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at her mother’s disapproving silence. She heard a noncommittal grunt over the line and knew that her mother was only half-listening, having already made up her mind.

                “I just think you would like it much better here in Metropolis. Gotham is just too dangerous for someone like you.”

                “Wow, _really?_ For someone like _me_?” Bree shot back, her jaw clenching slightly as she made her way down the street on her way to work. “Just because I’m—“

                “Honey, you know what I mean…”

                “I _do_ , but that’s just it; I understand, but I can take care of myself just fine. There are good and bad parts of every city. Maybe if you just _visited_ every once in a while you may see some of the good.”

                She really didn’t know why she even bothered defending Gotham. It really was a hell-hole of a city, and they both knew it. And yet, almost instinctually, she felt the need to rebuff every one of her mother’s comments.

                “You know I would, but then I would have the obligation to interact with your _father_ ,” her mother chimed over the line. Bree’s frown softened somewhat and she chuckled softly.

                “Anyhow, Mrs. Kim was over the other day and just loved that painting you did of those flowers.”

                Bree actually did roll her eyes at that comment.

                “Mom….that was from junior year of _high school_.”

                “Oh, but I showing people your old work!”

                “But I’m in graduate school! That was ages ago!” she said, her hand rubbing her forehead as she walked on down the sidewalk, laughing quietly.

                “Then why don’t you get back into it then? At least it wouldn’t involve you being shot at!”

                “Ughhhhh, mom……how many times do I have to tell you? I don’t want to be an _artist_ ; I want to be an FBI agent.”

                “I understand, honey,” her mother sighed. There was a long pause.

                “But _why not_?” she added.

                “Because I don’t actually like painting rainbows and sunsets mom, I did that for one birthday for you, and I haven’t done anything since” she said, furrowing her eyebrows.

                “Geeze, Bree, no need to be so _dramatic_ ,” her mother laughed over the line. Bree sighed.

                “Well, I’m going to half to let you go. I have to go in for work now,” she said, running a hand through her hair.

                “Alright, honey. Make good choices, love you.”  
                “Love you…” she muttered quietly into her phone as she flipped it shut with a small smile and a shake of her head. She shoved it into her coat pocket as she approached the doors of the precinct. She hummed lightly as she entered the busy precinct, filled with cops and workers buzzing about.  Moving almost mechanically, she made her way to the small coffee station in the corner and pulling her travel mug out of her bag.

                _Caffeine, check._

She turned and scurried up the stairs to her little nook.

                _Ready for action._

She pondered, tossing her bag to the floor with a great swoop of her arm. However, something on her desk caught her eye, causing her to pause. She reached down, snatching the small note off of her desk.

                _Meet me in the morgue. Got a case!_

_-Edward_

She read the lightly scrawled letters and glanced around. Nobody seemed be looking her way, which she took advantage of and snuck back down the stairs. Better to do it before anyone starting throwing paperwork her way. As she shuffled past busy officers she dimly realized that she only a vague idea of where the morgue was. It wasn’t exactly part of her daily routine.

                She started down another set of stairs and turned a corner into another hallway. She slammed into another body as she rounded the corner abruptly. After she muttered a quick sorry, she blinked a few times and looked up at the tall, slim figure.

                “Edward?”

                The man adjusted his glasses, looking down at her in surprise.

                “Oh, Bree! I was just about to go looking for you.”

                “Wait—didn’t you say to meet in the morgue?” she asked, noting the small frown that crossed his face.

                “Yes—but I’ve encountered a temporary setback.”

                Bree furrowed her brows, allowing her arms to fold across her chest.

                “What happened?”

                “I……may have been kicked out of the morgue.”

                “What? Why?”

                “Because this precinct is run by ignoramuses….” He muttered under his breath, barely loud enough for her to make out.

                “Oh….well, then what’s this case you’re so excited about?”

                Edward’s face immediately lifted, a sly grin spreading across his lips. His posture straightened, and his hands clasped easily in front of him.

                “This morning we recovered a body on the pier, which on its own really is not that unusual. However!” he began excitedly, “This body was dumped there a few hours after death, and he was found in a tie and workpants with suspenders, indicating a more financial-oriented occupation,” he gestured, unclasping his hands. “Yet, the most intriguing details were found during the autopsy I began……despite it not being finished,” he added with a note of exasperation, trailing off.

                Bree shook her head, her eyes flickering across his face searchingly.

                “Well…..what did you find?” she urged on, snapping him out of his reverie.

                “Oh, yes.....office supplies! I found various items of office supplies embedded in the body, such as staples and other materials of the sort.”

                “So…..he was killed in some office feud? Did you find anything else?”

                He shook his head before he paused.

                “Oh, well there was the unusual detail that I found a finger in his mouth…..obviously not his,” he chuckled quietly.

                “I was in the process of testing the supposed ink found on his arm when I was booted out of the morgue. But I’m suspecting it’s in fact printer toner if my theory is correct.”

                “That’s crazy…..but what did you want my help for?”

                He blinked a few times before his throat bobbed as he swallowed and gave a shrug. His eyes fell downcast.

                “Oh, I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to bounce some ideas around. I know you’re partial to the more direct approach, so I figured you may be helpful for investigative purposes….”

                Bree snorted a short laugh, a smile spreading across her face. She pushed a lock of hair out of her face as she nodded.

                “Well, I’m happy to help anytime. So what do you propose we do? Surely there are a few things outside the morgue we could do to help the case.”

                “Why, of course! I say we cross-examine all previous cases that involve office supply related homicides in the past ten years,” he chirped enthusiastically. Bree’s smile fell a fraction.

                “That could take….a very long time.”

                “Not if we start now!”

                “But….you realize that I have my own work to do too, right?” she pressed gently. He smirked knowingly as he adjusted his glasses.

                “I covered it for you….”

                She paused, furrowing her brows and narrowing her eyes slightly.

                “You…..what?”

                “I already did it for you.”

                “Wh-when on earth did you have time to do that?” she sputtered, blinking a few times and feeling an odd urge to punch him in the face for the invasion of privacy and hug him and the same time.

                “After the crime scene and before the examination,” he stated pointedly. Bree’s hand made its way to her forehead and she rubbed it tiredly.

                “Ed….you can’t just—“she cut herself off and let her arm drop back to her side with a small realization.

“You knew I’d agree to help you…..”

                “Quite so,” he quipped, interlocking his hands behind his back with a smug smirk, looking at her expectantly. She folded her arms across her chest with a mild glare. She stared at him a second before releasing a sigh.

                “Alright, fine. Let’s get started.”

 

-          -              -              -              -              -

 

After hours of digging through records, Bree sat back against the cabinet with a sigh. She and Edward sat across from each other on the floor of the file room annex. After a brief yet awkward interaction with Ms. Kringle, it hadn’t taken long for files to be spread all across the floor.

“ _Take one out and scratch my head,_

_I am now black but once was red._

_What am I?”_

Bree took a long sip from her thermos as she slapped another file to the ground.

“I am quite brain dead at the moment, so please just spare me the embarrassment and tell me the answer,” Bree half-groaned.

“Oh, but that would be cheating,” he tisked softly.

“Ugh, fine then……charcoals, like ones you put in fire?” she offered, not feeling too confident. He smirked slyly.

“I am afraid you are incorrect…..but close! The answer was _a match_.”

“Ahhh, close….” She muttered, looking down at the file in her lap.

“Well, this guy here was found with a stapler shoved down his throat,” she said, her nose crinkling slightly with distaste, “That can’t be pleasant….”

“I would say not….hand it here,” he commented, his face buried in another file. She reached over and handed it to him before settling back against the cool metal of the cabinet. Her eyes rested on him a moment, his eyes intently glued to the papers, focused on the task at hand. Her lips twitched upward slightly into a smile.

“What is it?” Edward asked, not even looking up. She shook her head lightly.

“Nothing….besides, what makes you so sure there are more of these sort of deaths? We don’t actually know if our guy was even killed in an office.”

He closed the file and set it aside, allowing his hands to lace together in his lap as he regarded her.

“Call it a hunch….but this whole thing makes me think of a case I saw about a year ago. A young man, in a business suit, and his esophagus was lacerated by index cards. I am almost certain that our guy this time around was also killed in an office. I just need one more thing to confirm that.”

She nodded softly, biting her lip in thought.

“And what would that be?”

“We’re going to break back into the morgue, of course!”

 

-          -              -              -              -              -              -              -             

“I could get fired for this.”

“Well, so could I.”

“Yes, but I’m only an intern and I feel as though you may get more leeway.”

“Oh, relax, I already did all the messy, time consuming work. I only have to grab the results from the samples I found in his ribs and the black material on his arms,” Edward quipped, hurrying down the dim corridor. He peered around the corner and looked both ways before he gestured for Bree to follow him.

They pushed open the door and a chill swept through her.

“Geeze…..it’s cold in here….” Bree muttered. Edward hurried around the table and grabbed the two filled test tubes on the counter.

“It keeps the bodies fresher, longer,” he commented.

“Is that a microphone?”

“Yes, and don’t _touch_ anything,” he snapped lightly as he turned back to the task on hand.

“Just as I thought….” He said quietly.

“What did you find?”

“The chips found in his ribs were graphite and the supposed black ink was in fact, printer toner! Combining that with the staples I pulled from his shoulder, this definitely indicates an office,” he concluded, spinning around towards her. She raised a brow.

“So…..including this one, that makes five homicides by office supplies in the past three years….what is this, an office supply serial killer?” she chuckled with a small smirk, looking down at the body still on the table.

“I’d say that is a little less likely, but entirely possible. The methods were all very different aside from the materials used. I think we’re looking for more than one killer…..or possibly one person making others kill for them….”

“Too _spooky_ ,” she smirked, leaning against the counter beside him, “What is this? The Hunger Games: employee of the month edition?”

He chuckled softly with a light nod of his head.

“An unusual possibility….”

She reached up and grabbed the recording device, pulling it down to her face.

                “ _May the odds be ever in your favor,_ ” she mimicked in a chirpy voice and almost yelped as she jumped back to avoid Edward reaching to take it away from her.

                “I said don’t touch anything!” he said in a half-stern voice, barely concealing the goofy laughter underneath. She laughed as she let the mic swing back.

                “Yeah, yeah, _sorry_.” She quirked her head slightly to the side in mock-contemplation. “Actually, _no._ I’m not sorry, that was definitely worth it,” she finished, mirroring him as they broke into another small fit of laughter. She grabbed his arm, tugging him towards the exit.

                “Shhhh, no laughing, we’re in a _morgue_!” she half-whispered under her breath as they made for the exit.

                As they walked back up the stairs her phone began to buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out as they entered the main area of the precinct. She glanced at the caller ID.

                _Harvey._

“Hey, Ed, I have to take this call, but I’ll see you tomorrow!” she said giving his arm a light squeeze. He smiled and gave a small wave.

                “See you later!” he called back.

                With a smile she flipped open her phone as she made her way back to her desk.

                “Hey! Harvey, how’s it going?” she chimed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

                “ _Hey, it’s going well. I was just wondering what time you got off work?”_ his rich voice rang over the line.

                “Oh, actually, I just did. Why, did you want to get together and do something?” she said, clutching her phone between her shoulder and her ear as she reached for her bag.

                “Well, I just have a few more things that I have to get done at the office, but it would be amazing if you could meet me here. I did promise I’d show you around,” he said, chuckling lightly.

                She smiled softly, biting her lip.

                “Sure, yeah, I’d like that.”

                “Great! I’ll text you the specifics and I suppose I will see you soon!”

 

-          -              -              -              -              -              -              -              -              -              -              -             

 

It wasn’t long before she found herself walking down the corridors of city hall, a place that she found herself feeling rather out of place in. She glanced down at her phone once more to double-check that she had the right office and she tentatively reached out and knocked on the door. There were a few muted seconds where she considered leaving before she embarrassed herself by having the wrong office number, but after another moment, the door swung open.

        She was greeted by Harvey’s warm smile, his large eyes glimmering as he held the door open. His nicely pressed suit and tie made her feel sorely underdressed.

        “Hey! I’m glad you could make it, come on in,” he gestured, stepping aside and allowing her to follow behind him.

        “Yeah, I’m glad I came! City hall is a bit more…..overwhelming than I remember,” she said with a light laugh.

        “You’ve been before?” he asked amiably, leaning casually against his desk.

        She shook her head.

        “Only once, and it was a long time ago. I almost want to say a field trip or something,” she smiled, looking down at the nicely polished floor.

“It’s a really nice place you’ve got here though…” she commented, looking up and around the room. “I don’t mean to be weird or anything. I’ve just had a bit of a long day….well not really quite as long as that day before one of our last dates, but still pretty long. I don’t know, I just…..” she paused herself, letting her eyes fall closed. “Ignore everything I’m saying right now. My brain is fried.”

She felt a light touch on her chin, causing her eyes to flicker open as he lifted her eyes to his. He smiled softly, no longer leaning casually against the desk, but at his full height.

“It’s _fine_ ,” he said reassuringly.

“I’m sorry, I am just a big awkward fest today….or really _every_ day.”

                She laughed softly, looking downward as she trailed a finger across his nice wooden desk. She noticed him move closer and his hand rested on hers, making her look up. She met his intense gaze, void of all the boyish charm present moments ago. Suddenly, a small alarm in the back of her head gave her a slight urge _to run. However, with the gentle tug of his hand he coaxed her closer._

“I disagree,” he said, his arms easily slinging behind her waist, pulling her to him. Her eyes met his before his eyes flickered down to her lips.

Harvey’s lips met hers, his hands splaying across her lower back and pulling her tightly against him. Bree gasped against his lips and rested her hands on his shoulder as his hand ghosted up her neck and wound its way into her hair.

 _Wait. Shit, this is happening._ She thought with a mild wave of anxiety before she cautiously moved her lips against his. Her eyes drifted closed as he tugged at her lip with his teeth. Her arm wove itself around his neck. His other hand grasped at her hip as he deepened their kiss at her response, his tongue lightly brushing against hers. After a moment, she stilled her lips as a face popped into her mind. One with similar gelled hair and horn rimmed glasses.

 _Dammit Bree, not now._ She thought, inwardly scolding herself. Harvey seemed to take no notice as his lips moved from her lips to her jaw and onto her neck. She hummed pleasantly when Harvey peppered a few light kisses down her throat before gradually nipping more roughly. His teeth nipped lightly and grazed her throat before sucking gently and leaving what she knew would later be angry red marks on her neck. She had to admit, she found Harvey quite attractive, especially as his hand wound itself tighter in her hair as he moved back to her lips and gently pressed her against the wall. His other arm wrapped itself around her waist and pressed her firmly against him. His level of aggression really took her by surprise, especially when compared to the demure, boyish personality he seemed to convey.

But she shouldn’t shake the flashes of Edward’s excited face that flickered across her mind between kisses. She couldn’t help but think about the way he smiled, or the sparkle in his eyes when he told a new riddle. Or even just the way they could spend hours pouring over case files and not get tired of each other. Suddenly, despite everything, she felt cheap.

 _But we aren’t even dating!_ Her inner voice of reason yelled at her _He probably doesn’t even think of you like that_. Her inner self repeated….and yet….it felt _wrong._

After another moment, she broke the kiss, looking up at Harvey as his eyes flickered open.

“ _Harvey_ …?” she said quietly, his face still close enough that their breath intermingled.

“Hmm?” he said with a small smile, his hand gently sliding out of her hair. Her mouth stayed open for a moment, searching for the most delicate words.

“I-I’m sorry, I just….can’t do this right now. I like you a lot, but it wouldn’t be good for either of us,” she said, words spilling out of her mouth, not really sure what she was saying, but not wanting to upset him. “You have a lot on your hands, and I have a lot in mine right now…” she trailed off, her hands slowly dropping from around his neck and she looked up at him with wide eyes. His smile slowly faded and his eyes flickered across her face. His hand brushed across her back before dropping from her waist, but she remained standing between him and the wall. Suddenly, apprehension wound its way throughout her body. The silence that fell was thick as Harvey looked down, his throat bobbing as he swallowed.

“I don’t…want to make it seem li—“she broke the silence and paused as he held a single finger to her lips. She met his large brown eyes with confusion and his slightly swollen lips twitched upward a fraction.

“I understand,” he said, his hands sliding into his pockets. Bree raised her brows, staring at him almost expectantly. However, he simply stood with his hands in his pockets, a small smile on his face. Suddenly, he leaned down and placed a light, lingering kiss on her cheek before pulling back.

“Should you ever find your hands any less full…you know where my office is Ms. Taylor,” he said evenly, stepping back and wandering over towards his desk. He slid into his chair, fingers idly tapping the wooden desk.

“I’ll keep that in mind…see you around,” Bree said simply, smoothing out her slightly ruffled clothes as she met his eyes one last time and gave a small smile that faded as soon as she turned to leave. The door clicked softly behind her and she released a heavy huff of air, her cheeks burning in a deep flush.

_You done fucked up Bree…you done fucked up._

 

**Ha ha…..yeah. Til next time, folks!**


	12. Chapter 12

Bree’s footsteps fell heavily onto the cracked pavement as she hurried back to her apartment. The cool air provided a stark contrast to her still heavily flushed cheeks and slightly swollen lips.

She cursed silently as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and she nearly dropped it as her hand scrambled to fish it out of her pocket.

“ _Hello?”_ she answered shakily.

“ _Bree, we have a problem,_ ” Edward’s voice rang urgently.

“Why—what is it?” she asked, a sense of dread snaking into her gut.

“Detective Gordon is missing. Bullock is acting panicked, which is highly unusual, and he’s having officers check addresses for him. I offered my help, but he didn’t seem to have the time to chat. However, I do believe that I may have discerned Gordon’s location.”

She paused, slowing her pace to a halt.

“Then why don’t you tell him?”

She could practically visualize him shaking his head on the other side of the phone.

“I _did_ try,” he grumbled, “But you know how Detective Bullock is…..or everyone in the precinct is for that matter…”

“You think it has to do with the office murders?”

“I _know_ it does. Gordon’s one of the few competent detectives we have. I’d rather not lose him to the _office of death_ as you christened it…”

“Agreed. So what do we do?”

“Grab your things, I’ll pick you up in approximately fifteen minutes.”

“Will do, Cap.”

“Nygma, over and out.”

After the line went dead she stared at her phone for a solid minute before flipping it shut. She shoved it unceremoniously into her pocket and doubled her pace home.

_Distractions. Yes, very good._

                When she arrived at her flat she nearly bolted up the stairs and shoved the door open with enough force to make her question if it remained on its hinges. The thought was fleeting as she threw off her work clothes and snatched the first casual set of clothes in sight. She grabbed her oversized pea coat and carefully holstered her firearm in the inside pocket. With a steadying breath she gazed out the window.

                “Okay…..okay,” she muttered, mentally running a checklist of everything she needed. Her phone buzzed loudly against the kitchenette counter and she scurried across the room, snatching it and bringing it to her ear.

                “I’m on my way down.”

 

 

The old town car rocked slightly as Bree clambered into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut.

“Hey Ed, let’s go!” she said grabbing her seatbelt and looking up. He looked slightly perplexed and she noticed his eyes drift down to her neck.

“Did….someone try and hurt you? You look like you’ve sustained some sort of strangulation markings….”

Bree’s eyes widened and she stared at him blankly, mouth slightly agape. She felt her face beginning to flush as she searched for words and moved her hair forward to cover her neck.

“Oh….it’s nothing…..just…we need to _go_.”

She turned her head away from him and stared blankly forward. She could feel his eyes on her for another moment before she could see his throat bob in the corner of her eye and he reached for the gear shift.

Bree’s head pounded as she tried to act natural.

“So, Gordon didn’t even trust the officers enough to tell them where he was heading?”

“Evidently not…”

“I suppose in his defense, everyone in the precinct did pretty much abandon him in the shootout…”

Edward hummed a half-hearted sound of acknowledgement. Bree glanced over at him, noting the way his lips pressed into a tight line, and his hands fidgeted on the steering wheel as they turned abruptly into a side street.

“We’re almost there…”

The car rolled to a stop outside a rather nondescript office building. It almost looked normal aside from the few broken windows on the second floor. Aside from that, it had the appearance of an average office building.

“I think we know where to start…..” she said nodding at the windows. Edward met her eyes and nodded as he unbuckled his seatbelt. Bree pushed open the door and out of her seat. In less than two long strides, Edward stood beside her.

“The 8 of us go forth not back, to protect our King from the foe's attack….what are we?” he quipped, a rather sardonic smirk on his lips. Bree eyebrows rose as she reached for her firearm.

“Chess?” she offered.

“Ah, more specifically _, pawns_.”

“Always with the specifics,” she said, allowing herself an ironic smile as she clicked off the safety.

They crept forward towards the building. Edward reached for the door and it swung easily open.

“Well….that _is_ a promising sign….” He chuckled nervously, gesturing forward, “Ladies first.”

Bree half-scoffed as she moved ahead, gun lowered in front of her. Edward nudged her and she looked back. His glasses reflected the dim light softly as he nodded to a door on her left. The sign labeled _stairs_ half-chipped away. She quietly pushed it open and it swung ajar with a loud _creak._

Wordlessly, they climbed up the staircase. When they reached the second level they stepped out into a narrow hallway. Four doors lined the corridor, varied in their spacing. As Bree took another quiet step toward, she noticed all but one door was ajar. She looked to Edward, whose gaze seemed to be glued to that same closed door. His eyes flickered to hers before he stepped forward, gently jiggling the handle.

“ _Locked,”_ he whispered, kneeling down.

Bree nodded softly, turning her back to him and scanning the hall.

She drew in a shaky breath as turned back towards Ed. He rose from his kneeling position, his figure looming over her. The windows emitted a dim glow behind him, casting shadows across his features. His glasses glinted softly as he turned and grasped the door handle.

He gently pushed the door open and took a wary step inside. Bree trailed inside behind him, turning to crack the door.

“You know….don’t you think it’s a bit—“she began quietly as she turned back to face him, but a shadow in the corner of her eye caught her attention. “—Ed!”

He had only begun to turn his head when a solid object collided with his cheek. Edward stumbled backwards with a yelp, clutching his jaw and almost knocking Bree to the ground. He jerked his head up, facing his assailant. A relatively averaged sized male clutched a pole in one hand and a stapler in another. His face was obscured by what seemed to be a ski mask.

Bree pulled Ed aside, slowing stepping back from the man. Suddenly, he lunged forward. Bree steeled herself, raising her weapon and firing at the man’s leg, sending him down to the floor, clutching his thigh in pain. As soon as she began to lower her firearm, a hard kick landed on her back, sending her sprawling to the ground. She hissed in pain as she met the hard linoleum, her gun skidding across the floor. She winced as she began to push herself off the floor and heard the crack of glass underneath her palm. The thought flew to the back of her mind as she saw her assailant begin to walk back to her, and she frantically clambered back to her feet. She bent her knees and raised her fists.

“Easy there…..we don’t want to fight!” she barely bit out before she ducked away from the man’s punch.

“I said—!” she tried to continue, but realized it was pointless as she dodged another punch. She threw one of her own parries before he hooked her hard in the ribs, knocking the breath out of her. In a grunt of anger, she stepped on his foot while she sent a kick to his chest. His arms swung wildly for a moment before he tripped, falling to the ground. His head hit the floor with a deafening _thud_ and he lay motionless.

Bree huffed silently for a moment, clutching her likely bruised ribs as she made sure the man wasn’t going to climb back up and attack her again. Her ears piqued to the sound of a muted struggle behind her. She turned her head to see a man sprawled across the floor, another atop him, completely wailing on him. Dark, raven hair sprawled messily around bottom man’s head, and the masked figure wrapped his hands around the other man’s throat.

Her eyes frantically darted around, resting on the discarded pipe on the floor. She grabbed it and ran towards them.

“ _Get the fuck away from him.”_

The man’s head only had time to spin half-way around before the pole collided with his head in a deafening _clunk._ After freezing in place, in slumped, falling on top of Edward. With an audible grunt, Edward shoved the large man off of him, letting him fall unceremoniously to the side.

_Cling!_

Bree let the pole fall from her hands and stared at Edward, wide-eyed. Edward laid still, his eyes glued to the ceiling, his chest heaving.

Bree falls to her knees, he heart still thumping painfully hard against her chest, and her ribs throbbing. She flexes her hands, ignoring the shards of glass embedded in her palms, adrenaline still pumping strong through her. She looked up, her eyes resting on Edward’s neck. Then, despite everything, _she laughed_.

Edward seemed to fall out of his trance, and his eyes snapped to her, eyeing her as if she was the strangest creature on the planet. She smiled, letting the laugh continue to ring softly as she pointed to his neck, and then to hers.

“ _We match.”_

He blinked several times, his face blank for a moment, and then a goofy grin spread across his lips. A laugh erupted from his mouth, harsh and a sharp, but genuine. He shook his head softly as he sat up.

“Well, it would seem so…” he began carefully, his voice hoarse, as he looked around the eerie office, “And, it would also seem that we found our place…..but no Gordon in sight.”

Bree wordlessly climbed back to her feet, looking around until she saw her gun resting half-across the room. She shook her head.

“A lot of help you were…” she muttered, making her way over and picking it up.

She turned back to Edward, who had climbed back onto his feet. His dark hair was mussed and pointing out in odd directions, his tie almost undone and his shirt half-untucked.

“Come on….” She said with a shaky voice, coming out much clearer than she expected. “Let’s get out of here.”

…

..

.

They hardly spoke a word as they climbed back into Edward’s rickety towncar. Edward called in an anonymous tip to GCPD about the warehouse. Evidently, they had already found Gordon, in another sketchy office building.

 _Ed did say he had narrowed it down to two places….I guess both were the right ones._ Bree mused, staring blankly out the window as Edward drove towards her place.

As Edward pulled the car over to the curb, Bree looked back over at him, her eyes flickering across his face.

“You should come inside. I’m not going to lie, you look kinda rough…” she said. He considered this a moment as he put the car in park, and pulled the keys from the ignition with a nod.

 

 

They made their way up to her flat and Bree scanned the big room as she pocketed her keys and held the door open for Ed behind her.

“Sorry if it’s a bit messy….” She offered with the wave of her hand. After Ed shut the door behind him, she notice him visibly swallow hard as his eyes swept across her dwelling.

“It’s not much, but it works,” she added. The flat essentially was just one large room with a kitchenette, a couch, and her bed stuffed in the corner.

“Come on, the bathroom’s over here,” she said, grabbing him by the hand and pulling him into the only other room in the flat. She ducked and opened the bottom cabinet, pulling out a small bag of basic first aid supplies, and a towel.

“You could really have gotten hurt out there…” she said, looking at the caked blood on his forehead, and the slight swelling in his cheeks, And I mean _really_ hurt, not just these scratches,” she put the small bag on the counter and motioned him over.

                “You were out there too,” he said, shuffling closer to her and the sink. She rolled out the first aid kit and hopped up on the counter for better access to his face.

                “I know, I know…I was being an idiot too. It was rash….we shouldn’t have gone, but you know how it is….” she sighed, wetting a small wash cloth.

                “Do you mind if I take off your glasses?”

                Ed shook his head slowly, watching her as she reached up and delicately slid them off his face and placed them beside her.

                “There we go…” she muttered as she touched the cloth to his cheek and forehead.

                “I guess we just have that in common…”

                “Sorry, what?” she asked, trying to be a bit gentler as he flinched away.

                “We _had_ to go,” he began with a nervous swallow. “We had to go….because we both needed to know. Call it nosiness, or insatiable curiosity, but it almost works as an irresistible force, doesn’t it?”

                Bree knew he was right, and she smirked, but she didn’t say anything else as she finished cleaning his cuts.

“There you go. You will have some have some nasty bruises tomorrow, but at least the cuts won’t get infected,” she smiled, patting him on either shoulder, and then reaching for his glasses.  She wiped off the smudges and delicately slid them back onto his nose. They fell lopsided and she laughed as he reached up and fixed them. His lips twitched upward a fraction.

“You’re still a bit roughed up yourself…” he noted pointedly, gently grabbing her wrists and facing her palms up. He tisked lightly, examining the cuts on her hands. He grabbed a pair of tweezers from the pouch beside her and began plucking out stray shards of glass. She hissed softly as she sucked in a sharp breath of air.

“I’m surprised you didn’t mention this before you cleaned me up. There’s a lot of glass in here…”

“I’m a big girl, I think I can handle a few shards of glass,” she bit out with a sharp laugh as he finished with a particularly large piece. He swabbed the cuts with disinfectant and wrapped her palms lightly with gauze.

“So is this going to be a regular thing now? You and I alternating patching each other up?” she said with a softer laugh. He didn’t look up, but finished securing the gauze.

“Do you have any other injuries?”

“Ahh….yes. I think. That guy caught be in the ribs pretty hard.”

She lifted her shirt enough to show the bruise and Edward tilted his head in examination.

“I don’t think you have any cracked ribs, but you may still want to check later,” he said, awkwardly dropping the hem of her shirt. She nodded with a swallow.

“So, again, is this going to be a regular thing?”

Edward’s lips quirked upward.

“ _You can have me but cannot hold me; Gain me and quickly lose me. If treated with care, I am great, and if betrayed I will break.”_

  
                “So, is that a yes, or a no?”

“Bree…just answer the riddle.”

“Okay, okay, fine….” She paused, narrowing her eyes as they drifted across his face.

“Trust…?”

He smiled, gently releasing her hands.

“And if situations like this come to pass again….then I trust that you will to _patch me back up again_ , every time.”

Bree opened her mouth, but before she could respond, Edward wrapped his arms around her. She still sat atop the counter, now clutching to Edward for balance as her legs dangled on either side of him. Slowly, she hugged him back.

“I don’t want to lose you….” He breathed shakily against her hair, barely audible.

 She couldn’t help but a give a slight shiver. She hoped he hadn’t noticed, but she knew he had when his eyes snapped to hers, glimmering more darkly than usual.  He pressed against her, his hands on her back pulling her closer into an oddly intimate hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers gently brushed against his hair as she clutched him tightly as well. She felt him breath in deeply, his face resting in the crook of her neck.

_What are we?_

She mused, letting herself meld against his lithe form.

_It feels more intimate than friendship….but not exactly affection either._

_“Edward?”_

His grip tightened, his fingers scrunching the fabric of her shirt slightly.

“ _Yes?_....” he breathed, warm against her skin.

She grew silent for a moment, the heat of his hands seeming to burn through her. She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

“Nothing, never mind…”

_It’s almost expectant…like_

 

 

_Necessity._


	13. Chapter 13

Rolling over in bed still came with excruciating effort as Bree’s ribs still throbbed at her side. She told the doctor she had gotten in a bar fight. Of course combined with the red marks littering her neck at the time, he had simply shot her a sympathetic look and subtly handed her a domestic violence hotline number. As sweet as the gesture seemed, she still scoffed a short laugh as she tossed it in the garbage.

                _If only it was that easy to explain._

                Still better than telling the doctor the truth that she actually had stumbled upon an office fight-to-the-death ring during her extracurricular, crime solving exploits with her quirky forensic scientist friend…..but that would more likely earn her a cell in the newly reopened Arkham.

                Luckily for her, the marks that Harvey had left had faded, but her other cuts and bruise had yet to subside. Her face flushed as she stared at the ceiling, thoughts of Harvey crashing back to her. She felt bad leaving him hanging like that, but she couldn’t bring herself to regret it.

                _You did the right thing._

                She tried reassuring herself as she rolled out of bed, staring out the window at the overcast sky. She ran a hand through her long, tangled hair.

                “I really need a haircut soon….” She mused quietly, wondering idly towards her small closet to begin her morning ritual.

* * *

                The precinct seemed to be in its usual state of bustle as Bree made her way to the rickety old desk she had grown rather fond of in the way a child grows fond of their first, but half-broken bicycle. She tossed her belongings down and made her way towards the stack of paperwork she knew was waiting for her by Captain Essen’s office.

                “ _He’s highly dangerous and known to be unstable,”_

She slowed to a stop for the briefest moment, unable to fight the wave of curiosity coursing through her. She looked down at the stack of files and loose paper, her fingers tracing atop them as she pretended to be focused on something on the page.

                _“This wasn’t your usual prison escape. Our guy was broken out of an armored vehicle by trained armed guards.”_

“Care to take these for me?”

                Bree blinked, snapping out of her reverie. She looked up to see Detective Bullock’s smirking face, his arm outstretched. She glanced down and the file in his hand and quickly took it from him.

                “Uhhmm….sure.”

                “Oh, did I interrupt something?”

                “No! I—“

                “You were just listening in on the Captain’s briefing,” Bullock finished with a knowing grin.

                She just stared at him wide-eyed for a moment until he laughed.

                “It’s okay, kid, I’m not going to rat on you. I get it. It’s some interesting stuff.”

                Her shoulders lowered a fraction and she released a silent sigh of relief.

                “Shouldn’t you be in there?” she ventured. Bullock shrugged.

                “Jimbo and I already got a more detailed briefing. Just do me a favor, be careful on whose business you decide to snoop on, yah hear?”

                She nodded with a small smile, picking up the sizable stack of papers. Bullock tipped his hat, turning and taking his leave. She pressed the stack to her chest and made her way back up the stairs. When she reached her desk, she plopped the stack down, her brows furrowing at a white-noise sound coming from a nearby room. She pivoted around, her eyes landing on the forensics lab door, cracked open. Her hands brushed the doorframe as she peered inside and spotted Edward hunched over in intense focus over what looked to be a black box, but she couldn’t tell from where she stood.

                “Hey, Ed, so what’s that whole deal with an unstable convict escaping police custody?” she remarked casually, quickly glancing around, checking if anyone was in earshot. She smirked as she saw his shoulders stiffen and he tilted his head towards her. He blinked a few times in surprise before he finally gathered his thoughts.

                “Well….it would seem that an expert bomb maker is out and about our little burg.”

                “Hmmm…..sounds problematic. Whatcha working on?” she nodded to the box. He smiled, turning back to his task.

                “Ahhh! Well I just happened to find a broken radio in the cabinets and I’m just finishing fixing it!”

                “Mmm….sounds enthralling,” she quipped with a good-natured grin, “of course, not nearly as exciting as the stack of paperwork I have waiting for me!”

                Edward giggled and gave a short nod as she turned out the door. She folded her arms across her chest as she moved back towards her desk.

`               The day passed with a strange sense of monotony that she hadn’t felt in the precinct for some time. Gotham City seemed to just be growing odder by the minute these days. The next day the precinct hustled once more with the sleep-deprived faces of officers and an unspoken feeling of urgency.

                “ _There’s been a bombing.”_

                She heard in passing, her ears perking up eagerly for more information, but no one seemed to have much of a chance to talk. Fighting to stay nonchalant, she painted a blank expression on her face as she fought the urge to run to her desk and ask Edward for an update on that case.

                _God, I’ve turned into such a loser._

                She silently cursed herself at just how excited she got about hearing news of the latest disaster.

                _Blame it on the job._

Her eyes swept across the banister as she climbed up the stairs. She peaked into the forensics lab, only to find it empty. She frowned, making her way to her little desk. She sat plopped down with a sigh and began her paperwork.

                A few hours went by before a familiar figure slid into her peripheral.

                “Hey, _Breeeee_ , guess what I found?” the figure chirped, and she raised her head to see Edward’s grinning face, holding up a small plastic bag. She smiled.

                “Whatcha got?”

                “You’re supposed to _guess_ ,” he said with a note of exasperation. She nearly rolled her eyes, but relented.

                “ _Fine_ then…..it looks like a scrap of metal…..a little charred.”

                Edward nodded, urging her on.

                “Is that…..from the bombing?” she offered and he beamed.

                “Yes! I found it in the shrapnel from the bomb site. It’s a name plate!”

                “That’s awesome, have you told Gordon and Bullock yet?”

                His smile faded slightly as he shook his head.

                “No, I was just on my way over and I figured I’d stop by.”

                “Well, you have been a bit MIA lately,” she offered with a smirk. He gave an awkward half-shrug as he pressed his lips together in a tight line. Just as she looked back down at her work he piped up.

                “Hey….I was wondering if you wanted to possibly get together after work….with me….or something.”

                Bree’s eyes snapped to his and she gaped at him silently for a moment. He didn’t seem to want to meet her eyes.

                “Oh….well actually, I’m getting together with a friend tonight.”

                His face fell.

                “But we’re just getting together and watching movies or playing video games, so if you want, you can join us!”

                “Oh!” his eyes lit up, “That would be great! I love video games!” he beamed. She returned a light smile.

                “Soooooooo…..what about this bomber.”

                His eyes crinkled as he giggled.

                “You’ve turned into quite the murder gossip, Bree.”

                “What the _hell_ is a murder gossip?”

                “Well, the name itself is quite self-explanatory.”

                Bree fought the urge to roll her eyes and shot him an unimpressed glare as she folded her arms across her chest. His grin faded into a smirk.

                “It happens to a lot newbies. They get all excited about every case to enter the doors of the precinct and gossip about every detail of other’s cases,” he added.

                “Sounds a lot like you,” she retorted.

                “And _you_.”

                “Well, you can’t blame me. Hell, you’d be the same in my position. It’s not like I get the chance to do any real investigating beyond….. _you know_.”

                “I’m not blaming, just observing,” he said with a low chuckle. “Oh! And another thing—“he pulled something up from the floor beside him and placed it on her desk. “I fixed the radio!” he said flicking the button on the side.

                With a static-y hum it crackled to life, the familiar tone of Jeopardy emitting from the ancient boom box.

                “Do you listen to Jeopardy? I _love_ Jeopardy.”

                “I’m….not a huge Jeopardy person.”

                “Oh, come on. I’ll give you an easy one. Okay, how many elements are in the periodic table?”

                “Ed, I—“

                “Okay, okay, it’s 118.”

                She narrowed her eyes slightly.

                “You realize that we both know that you’re going to win every time, right?” she pointed out tiredly.

                “ _Fine_. I should run this evidence by Detective Bullock and Detective Gordon anyhow,” he sighed, flipping off the radio. She smiled lazily.

                “Yeah, that could be important.”

 

                **************

                Hours later, Bree shuffled the stacks of papers on her desk with a sigh and climbed to her feet. She clutched the stack to her chest as she shuffled down the main stairwell. As she turned the corner toward, she nearly slammed into an excited-looking Edward.

                “Geeze, Ed!” she breathed as she struggled to keep the files from sliding out of her arms.

                “Oh, my apologies! I just came back from the lab,” he began, his hands fumbling with a large hunk of metal.

                “What’s that?” she asked, nodded to metal,

                “What’s what?—Oh, you mean _this_!” he said, lifting the rectangular object baring a large hole in the center. She nodded slowly, her arms beginning to tire from holding the large stack of files.

                “It’s iron. Apparently the bomber had used a very specific type of explosive; exclusively used to penetrate iron!”

                “Well, that’s awesome, Ed, I—“

                “Nygma!”

                Both of their heads shot around as Captain Essen’s voice rang out. Ed glanced back to Bree quickly.

                “Gotta go, I’ll be right back! Hold this for me!” he said, dropping the hunk of iron atop her files.

                “Wait—Ed, are you going to take this back?” she began, but Edward had already disappeared. She looked around, her mouth still slightly agape as she tried to grab the heavy hunk of iron from atop the files. She propped her knee up to see if she could grab it and bit her lip as she tried to shuffle to the closest desk.

                “Brianna?”

                She turned, wide-eyed as she was met with Harvey Dent’s smiling face.

                “Oh, hey! Harvey, what brings you here?” slight disbelief slipping into her voice. She wasn’t really sure why. He was a councilman and a lawyer, being in a police precinct couldn’t be that unusual.

                “I happen to be helping Detective Gordon with a case, but he happens to not be here yet….now, _what_ is that?”

                He gestured, pointing to hunk of metal in her grasp.

                “Oh….yeah, this is just….iron,” she stared at it a moment and began laughing. “I’m holding it for a friend.”

                “That’s what they all say,” he offered with a smile and a laugh of his own.

                “Ummm….could you do me a huge favor and actually grab it for a moment, this stack of files is heavy enough without the extra ten pounds of iron,” she said, furrowing her brows slightly.

                “Of course,” he said, grabbing the rectangular metal off the stack she held, “That is definitely heavier than it looks,” he whistled lowly with charming grin. Her gut wrenched slightly and suddenly she wasn’t so sure she had made the right decision in turning him down.

                “Yeah….it is…” she said, setting the files down on the nearest empty desk. When she turned back, she jumped slightly as Harvey was only a step or so away, his expression still amiable. “I can grab that now,” she said taking the metal back and setting it down beside the files.

                “So how have you been? I hear the precinct has been busy pursuing some sort of bomb maker.”

                “Yes, well that seems to be business as usual in Gotham,” she shrugged, her hand reaching up to brush a stray hair from her face. Harvey’s eye’s snapped down to her hand.

                “What happened to your hand?” he said, catching her wrist lightly as she lowered it back down.

                “My wh---Oh!” she suddenly remembered she angry looking scratches that still covered her palms. “It’s nothing I just fell the other day.”

                “On what, broken glass?” he prodded with a light laugh, turning her palm up and tracing the marks lightly with his thumb.

                “Yes,” she said simply, slightly tugging away from his grasp. His eyes snapped to hers and his grip tightened a fraction. She opened her mouth to speak when suddenly he brought her palm to his lips and kissed it gently. She blinked as he released her hand and let it fall back to her side.

                _He isn’t giving up, is he?_

“Maybe it’ll feel better now,” he said with a small smile, but his eyes drifted up over her shoulder. She glanced back over her shoulder to see Edward frozen in place, his eyes locked with hers and he shuffled towards her.

                “Ed! Hey, I was wondering where you ran off to,” Bree said, angling slightly away from Harvey. Edward’s lips pulled together into a tight smile as he moved closer, his shoulder brushing hers. She glanced back at Harvey, whose eyes seemed to harden into a sharper stare.

                “And who’s your friend, Bree?” he said, clearing his throat. Bree looked back to Ed.

                “Oh, this is Edward. I was holding his…..iron for him,” she said with an awkward laugh as the glanced between the two. She felt a hand land on her shoulder and she looked up at Edward’s rather forced smile.

                “ _Edward Nygma_ ,” he said, not bothering to extend his hand, but rather squeezed her shoulder.

                “Harvey Dent.”

                Harvey and Edward seemed to stare at each other in an almost palpable silence.

                “Uhhmmm….well. I really need to drop these files off. It’s good to see you, Harvey. Edward, your iron sample is on the desk,” she said stiffly, trying to slide out between what little free space she had and snatched the files.

                “Take care, Bree.”

                “See you later, Bree!”

                When she took another cursory look back, they still seemed to be in a rather uncomfortable locking of gazes. She faced forward and picked up her pace. She hadn’t felt that uncomfortable in ages….but then again, discomfort seemed to be becoming the as commonplace as the crazies on the streets of Gotham.


	14. Chapter 14

The sky seemed uncharacteristically bright against the gray Gotham skyline. Steam wafted gently over Bree’s lips as she blew a cool breath onto her cup of coffee. She ran a tired hand through her hair as she glanced back at her jeans and blouse draped over the rumpled sheets of her bed. The days seemed to be growing shorter and her time at the left at the precinct ever-dwindling.

                _I’ll need to be looking for a real job._

She mused with a deep mental sigh.

                The precinct never exactly posed the perfect work environment, but she couldn’t help but fall in love with it in its own little way. However, it had seemed a little different without Detective Gordon, not that she ever really interacted with him. Drama just seemed to follow that detective around, and with it, a little entertainment. It was quiet; at least as quiet as a police precinct could be in one of America’s biggest cities.

                She tried not to linger on the thought too long as she turned away from the window and began readying for another day at work.

                The sun glistened through the high windows and reflected sharply off the marble flooring as she arrived and made her way to her usual station. However, as she climbed the first small set of stairs she slowed to a halt outside Captain Essen’s door. Peering through the window, she spotted the Captain hunched over her desk, pen scribbling fiercely across some unfortunate document.

                Bree swallowed as she shuffled closer to the door and gave a tentative knock on the neatly glazed wood. A moment of silence passed before a tired voice rang out.

                “Come in.”

                She pulled the door open and stepped inside, suddenly feeling an odd sense of déjà vu from her first day at the precinct.

                “Hi, Captain Essen, could I possibly have a quick word with you?” Bree said, trying to keep her face amiable. Essen’s brows rose slightly as she placed her pen down on the desk and clasped her hands together.

                “By all means, you’re already here. Please, take a seat,” she said with a quick gesture to the chair in front of her desk, “Try to make it quick though.”

                “Yes, of course,” Bree nodded, clutching her bag in front of her as she sat down. She looked down for a moment and took a deep breath before lifting her gaze.

                “Well, you see, ma’am, my internship here is ending very soon…..and I’ve grown to quite like it here. So, I was wondering if there were any part-time positions available.”

                Essen regarded her silently a moment, seemingly sizing her up. Possibly, just wondering who in their right mind would grow to like remedial paperwork and coffee-fetching.

                “You will have to file an official application.”

                “Yes, I understand.”

                “It will most likely be another small job like the one you have, starting out.”

                “That is completely fine.”

                Essen looked her over once more before relenting.

                “Alright, I’ll think about it. Now do me a favor and take these files down to the Annex,” she said evenly, handing her a small stack. Bree couldn’t fight back a smile as she took them.

                “Definitely, will do. Thank you for your time, Captain!”

                “Oh, don’t thank me yet,” she said with a dry chuckle as she shook her head and looked back down at her work.

                _That’s a good sign coming from Essen._ Bree mused as she practically skipped back down the stairs. She nearly forgot that she hadn’t even been by her desk to drop off her stuff yet, but she shrugged and kept walking with an idle hum.

                The hallways seemed darker and more winding than usual as she shuffled down to the Annex. She finally reached the door and nudged it open with her shoulder and free hand. Ms. Kringle’s head snapped up as Bree walked inside. She flashed Kristen a smile.

                “Hey, I’ve got some files for you from Captain Essen.”

                Kristen rose and took them from her hands with small smile in return.

                “Thank you, miss…..”

                “Taylor, BriannaTaylor, but just call me Bree,” she waved in dismissal, “I believe we met briefly before, but…”

                “Ah, yes! You were with Mr. Nygma in his file escapades….”

                “Yeah….sorry about that mess.”

                “It’s fine,” she remarked rather sharply. Bree nodded and her eyes drifted down to Kristen’s desk, noting a lone cupcake sitting apart from the rest of the paperwork.

                “Did someone leave you a present?” Bree laughed with a nod towards the sweet. She narrowed her eyes, leaning a little closer. “Is that a….bullet?”

                Kringle’s expression fell into a frown as she looked down at the treat in distaste.

                “I believe that was from your little _friend._ ”

                “Who, Edward?” Bree blinked, her grin faltering. Kristen nodded.

                “Oh…..well. I’m sure he has his reasons.”

                Kristen huffed quickly, turning and placing the files on a cabinet behind her.

                “He is a _strange_ man. I’m planning on giving it back to him later, but I just have far too much work to do.”

                “Well, much luck to you there….have a good day,” Bree said softly as she turned to take her leave. She tried to fight back her disappointment that Edward seemed to be back to his exploits with Kristen. Maybe he wasn’t flirting with her anyway….

                _Who am I kidding, of course he’s flirting with her._

                She thought glumly, a frown resting on her lips.

                _Conceal, don’t feel, Bree. Conceal, don’t feel._

She couldn’t help laughing at the absurdity of the thought, readying herself for the mental image of GCPD with a musical number. She shook her head as she made her way up to her work station.

                The first few hours of her shift passed in relative normalcy. That is, normal aside from Detective Gordon seeming to be back in action, poised to capture the newest threat to Gotham, the _Electro-cutioner._

_Catchy, indeed._

She stood from her desk with a tall stretch and snatched up the pile of completed papers. She hummed idly as she rounded the banister and made her way down the stairs. As she reached the main floor, a familiar face caught her eye. Edward met her eyes with a weak smile before looking away. She frowned, hurrying down the stairs to where he stood.

                “Hey, Ed. What’s wrong?”

                He blinked a few times, only just seeming to notice her appearance in front of him.

                “Wh-what? Oh….nothing…..it’s just,” his gaze drifted down to the cupcake resting atop the files in his arms. Bree arched a brow at him, eyeing the cupcake incredulously.

                “ _It’s not menacing_ …” he muttered, barely audibly. Bree raised a hand.

                “Wait, _what’s_ not menacing?”

                “My riddle…”

                “You lost me Ed…”

                He continued to look down at the small sweet.

                “The cupcake? That’s your riddle?” she pressed. He looked back up, meeting her eyes with a small nod.

                “I gave it to miss Kringle, it was supposed to be a sweet gesture….but….she said it was _weird, menacing, and inedible.”_

                Bree bit her lip, trying to fight back the laugh ebbing in her throat.

                _No, that would be insensitive!_

                She simply shrugged instead, eying the live bullet sticking out from the icing.

                “It….. _could_ possibly be misinterpreted as a threat.”

                Ed’s eyes widened as he shook his head.

                “No! It wasn’t a threat, was just supposed to be a riddle!”

                Bree shot him a weary look as he pressed his lips into a tight line.

                “I….just was trying to have an excuse to talk to her,” he said softly with a note of dejection.

                “Maybe she’s just not worth your time, like I told you earlier…” she muttered.

                “Sorry, what was that?”

                “Nothing,” she remarked glumly, “So, what _is_ that supposed to mean anyway?” she pointed to the cupcake.

                “Sweet and deadly?” she offered with a soft laugh. Edward’s expression brightened.

                “Close! Think more into the meaning of it—the cupcake is sweet, the bullet is deadly; A beautiful woman is a dangerous thing…”

                Her heart skipped a beat and she felt her stomach tighten.

                _Is that how he really views Kristen? Yeah, she’s pretty, but I wouldn’t say dangerous._

                “Oh….that’s sweet,” she said flatly, hiding the harsh note slipping into her tone.

“Say, are there any other bullets hidden in there?”

                “No, only that one.”

                “Good, cause I’m starving,” she said with a devious smile, snatching the cupcake off his stack of files. “And besides, I wouldn’t exactly call her the dangerous type anyway.”

                Edward smirked, chuckling softly as he pushed up his glasses.

                “Sweet and deadly….no, that sounds a bit more like you,” he said with a giggle.

“Damn straight,” she retorted dryly. Bree pulled back two fingers and pointed at him, gesturing a shooting motion.

                “Bang, bang….”

 

 

* * * *

                A few hours later Bree’s ears piqued at the sound of an unfamiliar, loud voice. She intended to drop off some finished paperwork by Officer Ramirez’s desk on the main floor, but she slowed to a stop as she looked over at the small group of laughing cops, one of them blocking the way to the desk she needed to place the paperwork on. She tilted her head and noted they seemed to be circled around a larger Italian man. She stepped behind the officer blocking her way, and cleared her throat. The gray-haired man turned his head slightly towards her with a frown. She offered a half-hearted smile.

                “I just need to drop this on that desk,” she offered, waving the papers. He chuckled and stepped aside. Her eyes widened and she raised her brow as she saw that a lanky, dark haired man seemed to be unconscious on the desk she needed to reach.

                “Thanks,” she muttered, stepping aside and attempting to slide the papers under the man’s leg and onto the desk. Suddenly, she noticed the group circled up seemed to have fallen silent, and she looked up to see all eyes glued on her, grinning and chuckling softly. The large man in the middle smiled and began laughing, and soon the small group followed. Bree blinked, a flush growing on her cheeks.

                “Now that’s dedication to work right there, my friends!” the loud Italian man laughed, nodding at Bree and sending a glance at the unconscious man on the desk.

                “Say, what’s your job here, little one?”

                “Intern, sir.”

                “Oh, wonderful! Then do me a favor and grab me an espresso, would you?”

                Bree gaped a moment before nodding her head.

                “Ah….yes sir!” she said, still slightly flustered as she scurried off.

                She barely looked up as she passed the small staircase towards the coffee pot. A light tug on her arm snapped her gaze upward. She blinked, meeting the eyes of Detective Bullock.

                “Be careful, kid. That’s Don Maroni. Try not to get too…. _curious_ over there, okay? That’s some bad business,” he said in a low voice, taking a quick glance around. Bree opened her mouth to comment, but decided against it and simply nodded. He eyed her warily before giving a pat on the shoulder as he pushed back. She didn’t move for a moment, processing Bullock’s words as she looked back at the still circled group of cops around the larger man.

                _Shit._ She thought with a hard swallow.

                _This better be a damn fine cup of coffee._

As she wandered over to the community coffee station, she noticed a rather distressed looking Edward pacing outside the staircase that she knew led to the file annex.

                “Ed?” she called out. His head snapped up, seemingly dragged from deep thought.

                “Oh, Bree! I have a problem,” he stopped his pacing with a frown. She raised a questioning brow. He continued.

                “I should explain my riddle to Kristen, shouldn’t I?”

                “Well, yes, that would probably be ideal.”

                “It’s just---every time I try to speak with her I get nervous and forget what I want to say.”

                “Just, relax. Don’t try too hard and you’ll be fine,” she gave a light shrug, “When you’re not trying to be someone you’re not, you can actually be kind of smooth,” she patted his shoulder and gave a reassuring smile.

                He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, blinking in surprise at her words. His cheeks took on a slight flush.

                “A-are you sure?”

                “Positive.”

                “Oh, alright then,” he straightened his posture and adjusted his glasses. “I’ll go talk to her!”

                Bree’s smile faltered somewhat when she thought of the glasses-wearing annex worker, but she tried to not let it show. Not that Ed would likely notice…

                “Knock’em dead…” she muttered, although he had already darted off down the stairs. She looked back at the coffee machine with a sigh, grabbing the Styrofoam cups with a bit more force than necessary.

                She hurried back to where Maroni and a few of (who she presumed must be) his men. The cops around him had disbursed, but the unconscious man on the table seemed to be twitching awake. When she approached, eyes flickered back up towards her. The gazes put her on edge, but she simply set the coffee’s down. Maroni looked up at her with a smile and a nod.

                “Thanks, sweetheart.”

                She forced a smile and turned to take her leave.

                _God, I hate the name sweetheart._

Her thoughts dissipated as an arm shot out, catching her sleeve. She looked abruptly at the source and realized it was the dark haired man laying atop the desk.

                “P-please. I need a phone!” the rather frazzled man sputtered, his bright blue eyes frantically searching her face as he sat up. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Maroni’s voice cut her off.

                “That won’t be necessary.”

                Both Bree and the dark haired man looked up at Maroni. Her eyes briefly flickered back to the man on the desk as he finally released her sleeve. Maroni looked back at her once more.

                “Hey, miss intern, would you mind grabbing the food delivery out back for us? I bet Penguin here is famished. I know I am!” he laughed and the men around him joined. Bree nodded reluctantly with another smile, not looking to get on the bad side of any mob bosses any time soon. She glanced back at the man on the desk Maroni had called _Penguin_ and their eyes met for the briefest moment. Her breath caught at the iciness in his gaze and quickly broke away.

                She frowned as she walked off again.

                _Am I a waitress now?_

                She idly thought, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. There still was a lot of paper work to do, but she pushed it to the back of her mind as she reached the lower stairwell.

                Her hands brushed the rail as she turned the corner into a dimly lit hall. No one ever really used the back access way aside from drop offs and the occasional brave delivery car, so the hall seemed bizarrely empty as opposed to the rest of the precinct.

                Suddenly a jarring noise ripped through the building and she came to an abrupt stop as the lights flashed, sparks flying. Her eyes went wide as the fluorescents above sparked angrily before fizzling out, leaving the hall in darkness.

                “What the _hell_ …” she gasped, blinking furiously in an attempt to adjust her eyes to the sudden blackness of the hallway. Her heart pounded as she extended her arms, swatting the space around her as she tried to find the wall. Her breath caught and she froze at the sound of footsteps.

                _Ssssszzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!_

A spark of electricity illuminated the hall in front of her, jumping between two coils. A figure stood, clutching the sparking rod with gloved hands. The crisp light cast sporadic shadows on the man’s bearded face, his glasses glinting menacingly in the sparks. He seemed to have some sort of large machine strapped to his back, but Bree’s attention snapped back to his face as a grim smile stretched across his features. A looming man stood behind him, silent, but imposing.

                “Hello there. Do be a dear and point me to main hall?” the man rasped in a voice with an oddly metallic edge.

                Wordlessly, she points behind her, wide-eyed.

                “Up the stairs….”

                The man’s smile widened. He gave what may have been a half-bow.

                “Thank you, darling,” he said, taking a step forward, the other man right on his heels. Bree pressed herself closer to the wall, her jaw clenching at his term of endearment.

                “I’m not your _darling_ ,” she said softly, but sharply. She hadn’t meant to say it aloud, but the words were out before she could stop them.

                The man paused, his head cocking slightly to the side with something akin to amusement sparkling in his eyes. He smiled once more, his eyes trailing down her form to her heavily scuffed Doc Martins. He clicked his tongue.

                “Love your _shoes_.”

                She furrowed her brow, glancing down. Suddenly, a sharp pain jolts into her neck. Her eyes snapped up for the briefest moment to see his arm withdraw a smaller handheld device. Her head pounds as her vision fades to black. Every limb suddenly feels heavier than it ever has. Distantly, she realizes her face is pressed against the cold marble flooring, and her body seems to have barely registered the impact. With a stiff exhale, her eyes drift shut.

                ---------------------------------------

 

                Every muscle ached. Her fingers felt all tingly, her face and neck uncomfortable. She vaguely realized her face was pressed against something hard.

_Wait….that’s the floor._

Slowly, her eyes blinked open, not that it seemed to make a difference in the blackness of the hallway. Her palms found the ground and she pushed herself up to her knees with a painful groan.

“What happened?” she mused quietly, reaching up to scratch the back of her neck and her fingers brushing a sensitive patch of skin. She hissed, pulling her hand back. Suddenly, it came back to her.

_That man….he shocked me!_

She sat up, patting the ground around her until she found the wall. A hard knot found its way into her throat as he tried to steady her breathing. She felt light headed. Her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, heart pounding fiercely against her chest.

_Calm down, Bree._

It was fine, right? Everyone in the precinct must be okay….right? She just happened to have been alone….in the dark….unconscious for an uncertain amount of time. She swallowed, patting herself down.

“Everything’s still here….”she whispered, more to fill the deafening silence than anything. She paused to check her erratic breathing once more.

“It’s _fine,”_ she said, clawing at the wall in an attempt to scramble to her feet, “This isn’t scary at _all_ ,” she lied.

                She stumbled through the black hallway until she found the door handle to the stairwell. She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the light. When she stepped back into the main hall, the precinct seemed to be in disarray. She walked over to the nearest desk and tapped on the officer’s shoulder.

                “What exactly just happened?”

                The man looked over his shoulder, clutching his head lightly.

                “Haven’t you heard? The precinct was attacked by that Grubler guy. Most of us were knocked out for the count during that power surge. Gordon got him though. It’s a good thing you weren’t in here, that guy seemed like trouble,” the officer offered with a grim nod.

                “Thanks….yeah, lucky me,” she remarked dryly.

                She felt oddly hollow as she climbed the stairs to her desk.

                “Bree! There you are, I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

                Her eyes snapped up and spotted Edward’s lanky figure, standing in the doorway of the forensics lab, clutching his little notebook to his chest.

                She bolted to across the floor and nearly knocked Edward over with the force of her hug. It was over before he even had the chance to register what had happened.

                “Ed! Are you alright?” she said as she quickly pulled away from the hug.

                “Oh…yes. I’m alive and well from Grubler’s attack, but there was something else I wanted to talk to you about,” he said, backing up into the lab. Bree trailed in after him.

                “Yeah? What is it?”

                “Well…a few things….for one, do you think I’m….. _weird_?” he asked quietly, his lips falling into a frown. She blinked, regarding him pensively for a moment.

                “Ah….well, in a way, yes. But really, isn’t everyone? Everyone is sort of a weirdo in their own way,” she began. His eyes drifted down, clearly not the answer he had been hoping for.

                “But the best people usually are,” she added. He glanced back up, his brows lifting somewhat and his frown softening into a light smile.

                “Well, that’s good to hear because I may have happen to overhear Kristen telling Flass she thought I was weird….but that may be a good thing!” he quipped.

                “Yeah….maybe,” Bree’s smile fell a fraction.

                “Great! So, I was thinking about how she seems to like it better when I don’t say any riddles to her. So _what if_ I wrote her a poem? That’s endearing, correct? Surely, she couldn’t possibly find it menacing or weird at all and—“

                “Edward!” she cut him off sharply.

                Ed froze mid-sentence, his mouth closing abruptly as he stared at her in shock.

                “Why—“

                “I just spent over an hour unconscious and alone in a dark hallway after _the guy who tried to kill everyone_ personally knocked me out, and all you can think about is your _goddamned_ crush!” she snapped, “What happened to _I don’t want to lose you, huh?”_ she pushed him back, tears ebbing at the corners of her eyes. She wrapped her arms around herself as she bit her lip.

                “Y-you’re upset…” Edward said simply, his mouth slightly ajar and his hands up in an almost mock-surrender. Bree nodded.

                “Yes, genius. I am a bit upset right now,” she turned to leave and he caught her arm.

                “I didn’t mean to…” he trailed off. She spun back around and let out a heavy sigh.

                “I know you didn’t, Ed, but that doesn’t change it. Shit happened today, you know that…..I just need to lie down or something,” she grumbled, rubbing her forehead.

                “I’ll see you later…”

               

 


	15. Chapter 15

“Are you sure you want that much off?” the fiery red-haired woman questioned, running her fingers through Bree’s freshly washed curly tresses.

Bree nodded.

“Absolutely.”

The hairdresser gave a hesitant shrug as she reached for the shears. Bree sat relatively silent as she watched the long detached strands of blond hair fall onto her aproned lap. It became mesmerizing, watching the curtain of hair fall into a pile of wisps. Eventually, the chair spun back around and she faced herself once more in the long mirror.

“Is that alright?”

“It’s perfect, Zoe,” Bree turned back to her with a smile, “Feels better already.”

Zoe flashed her a smile as she plugged in the blow-dryer.

“It’s pretty ballsy compared to your last one, but I think it works for you.

Bree half-scoffed a laugh, reaching up and ruffling her now long pixie.

“Well, I guess that’s me then, _ballsy_ as they come,” she said dryly.

 

 

After a relatively relaxing weekend, the prospect of work almost seemed to be an interesting change of pace. However, by the time she had arrived the precinct had already blossomed into a state of disarray.

“What happened?” she asked when she tried to shove past the anxious faces of officers and crime scene tape to reach the stairs.

“A hot load of crap, that’s what,” Bullock had muttered vaguely at her questioning. It hadn’t been particularly helpful.

_A crime scene in the precinct?_

When she finally shoved through the line to reach the stairs to her work space, she had heard enough idle gossip to piece together a general notion of what had occurred.

_Welcome to Gotham: where witnesses can be murdered in police stations of all places._

It was rare times such as these that that she was glad to be on the outside of the investigation instead of in the through of duty. Evidence did seem to indicate it could have been an inside job, which didn’t make her feel any better as she shuffled through the paperwork of several officers.

_It could have been any of them._

“An icepick!”

Bree nearly jumped as a voice suddenly chimed close to her ear and her elbow automatically shot back, colliding into a solid surface.

“ _Ompff_ …” came a muffled groan as she spun around.

“Oh my god……Edward! I am _so_ sorry,” Bree sputtered, clamping a hand over her mouth as Edward hunched over slightly, clutching his middle.

“Oh…..well…..I’m just….. _fine_ ,” he chuckled half-heartedly with a grimace.

“Are you okay?”

He nodded, his expression lightening a fraction, a small smile back on his face.

“So, I was saying; an icepick!”

Bree blinked, tilting her head slightly.

“Ahh…..what about an icepick?”

                “Are you familiar with the events of this morning?” he remarked in a lower tone

                “Vaguely.”

                “Good. Now, you are in a room with three monkeys. One monkey has a banana, one has a stick, and one has nothing. Who is the smartest primate?”

                Bree held back a groan of impatience, but thought for a moment.

                “ _You._ Now, what’s this business with the icepick have to do with the events of this morning?”

                “Ah, but _everything_!” he said with a wide grin, “This morning a witness was murdered while awaiting questioning. Cause of death: blood loss and internal damaging from a stab to the back from an _ice pick.”_

                “Wow….that’s a bit unsual.”

                “Tell me about it! That’s ju—“he froze mid-sentence, blinking a few times as his eyes rested on her shoulders and trailed up.

                “Where did your hair go? No—I mean, it looks different.”

                She couldn’t help but to laugh.

                “Well, I did get a haircut if that’s what you mean.”

                Had he really been so engrossed in the case that he hadn’t even noticed it when he first ran to her? Or was he really just not observant.

                _Knowing him, probably the former._

Bree shook her head.

“So what’s with this whole murder in the precinct deal?”

“It appears that a witness knew a little too much and someone decided to take matters into their own hands…”

“Do you think it was someone who works here?” she lowered her voice, her eyes flickering around. Edward’s lips flattened into a tight line and he gave a curt nod.

“It would appear so.”

“Doesn’t that bother you?” she offered, folding her arms across her chest as she wandered out of the main walkway.

“Well of course….I simply am redirecting my energy into other pressing matters….”

“Such as….?”

The frown vanished from his features, a smile stretched wide across his lips.

“Well!” he began, reaching into his pocket and flourishing his small leather notebook, “I have an idea….to get miss Kringle’s attention!”

Bree couldn’t stop herself from gaping.

“And that’s more pressing than a murder in our very own precinct?”

A red flush spread across his cheeks.

“Umm…..well. I, ahh…”

She sighed.

“Alright, let’s hear it.”

His expression lifted.

“A poem. I intended to write her a love poem.”

“Why?”

“B-because it is what many people consider ‘conventionally romantic’ and for some reason miss Kringle seems partial to more traditional approaches…”

“ _No_ , not that….I mean why even bother with her. It’s not like she’s done anything to indicate even being friendly, let alone flirty.”

“So…I take it that you’re not going to help me with the poem?”

                She shot him an unamused look before slowly shaking her head. She gave him a light pat on the shoulder.

                “Keep me updated on how that goes, but I’m calling it now that it may not go so spectacularly.”

                Edward blinked in surprise, a frown tugging at his lips.

                “You’re never typically this negative….” He muttered, clutching the little book to his chest. She shrugged, a pang of guilt shooting through her at being so short with Ed.

                “Sorry….I just have a lot on my mind,” she lied stiffly, turning away from him.

                _Now you’re just being childish._ She chided herself as her eyes flickered across the precinct, realizing she just stormed off _away_ from her work space. She conceded to dig around for more information about this inside murder case.

 

-          - - -

Later, when Bree made her way back up the familiar staircase, she noticed the door to the forensics lab cracked. Peering inside, she noted a tall, slim figure bent over in a chair, his hands cradling his head. Her lips parted slightly before closing again and her knuckles gently wrapped on the wooden door, pulling it open.

“Edward?”

Bree’s voice echoed mutely as she poked her head inside, slowly cracking the door open widen enough to slip inside. The door shut behind her with a low _click._ Her arms folded across her chest as she moved closer.

“Ed—“ she gently placed a hand on his shoulder and he jumped, his head snapping up. She pulled back her hand and let it fall to her side. His eyes darted to her and quickly back to the desk in front of him. He rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses with a poorly concealed sniff.

“What happened….?”

He sat in silence for a moment, glaring a hole into the surface before him.

“Flass…..Detectective Flass happened,” he growled, an unexpected level of malevolence creeping into his tone.

“He read my poem aloud….and they all laughed.”

Bree bit her lip with an exasperated exhale.

“Ed, I’m so sorry…if there’s—“

“—No. Leave me alone…..I need a few minutes,” he almost whispered.

Her eyes flickered across his profile, resting on his frowning lips before nodding.

“You know where I am if you want to talk…”

Edward’s silent form remained that way as she reached for the door. Something told her an “ _I told you so”_ moment certainly would not help.

 

-          - - -

 

The dark night sky through the window did not escape Bree’s attention as she finished the last of the paperwork that likely could have been finished hours before if she hadn’t been so distracted. With a yawn, she reclined back into her chair with a stretch. After a few more moments of staring blankly at the ceiling, she stood and grabbed her coat and belongings. As she grabbed her bag and moved towards the stairs, she heard a light humming coming from the lab and slowed to a stop. She stepped inside, noting the dim glow of the examination table.

“Bree!”

                Her head snapped up to see Edward’s grinning face at the exam table, a Styrofoam box filled with what looked to be takeout beneath him.

_“What do you do with a dead chemist?”_

Bree blinked, sputtering a blunt “What?” before she could think.

_“Barium,”_ he chuckled softly, staring down through the magnifying glass in front of him.

Bree couldn’t help but smirk as she shook her head with a quiet laugh.

“You seem to be in a much better mood,” she observed. A slight flush spread across his cheekbones as he shifted restlessly in his seat.

“There is _hope_ ,” he nearly sung, looking up at her with a smile. She lifted a questioning brow.

“With miss Kringle…”

Bree mouthed a quiet “O” and clutched her bag more tightly.

“Right….because that’s clearly worked out so well so far.”

“Well….not every relationship goes without hitches,” he muttered indignantly, his smile drooping a fraction. “She _apologized._ That counts for something!”

Bree swallowed hard, closing her eyes a moment.

“Look at yourself! You’re too enamored to even see how much she’s throwing you around without doing a thing!”

“Well, maybe…. _maybe_ if you just got to _know_ her—“

“—I honestly don’t _want_ to know her. And really, I don’t think you know her either! I think you like an _idea_ of who you think she is, but not her as a person.”

“ _Honestly?_ Honestly, I don’t think you are being very fair here, Bree,” he snapped back.

She stared at him a moment. They never used to fight…..bicker maybe, but it seemed the only thing they ever fought about was that damn _miss Kringle_.

“Look….I just….” She sighed, her palm rubbing against her forehead, “From my experience, error happens within ambiguity….and I really don’t do this very well.”

“Do what well?” Ed pressed, a fraction less harsh than before.

“Emotions.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“ _Meaning_ , I don’t want to see you hurt by a girl you don’t even know…I care about you too much to watch you _deal with that_ ,” she swallowed hard, “Especially when I….” she let her words fade softer than her breath.

_No. I am going to be selfish and pretend that it’s only for him._

“Forget it,” she said, shaking her head and turning to walk away. Suddenly, he stood and caught her wrist.

She turned back, staring at his fingers clasped firmly around her wrist. Her gaze lifted in surprise as he stepped closer, his face almost unreadable as his eyes flickered across her face. She pressed her lips into a tight line. After a moment, his grip softened, his arm dropping back to his side as he released her. His throat bobbed as he swallowed.

The silence grew palpable.

She met his eyes for a moment before she turned to walk away.

He didn’t stop her.

 


	16. Chapter 16

A chill jolted through his spine as another whip of cool wind danced across the rooftop. Edward clutched his pen and notebook closer with a shiver from the brisk Gotham air.

                “Morning Capt’n,” he chimed with a nod.

                “Morning, Ed,” Essen replied with little enthusiasm as she remained mostly turned towards Bullock and Gordon. Edward offered a thin smile.

                “The more you cut me, the bigger I grow; what am I?”

                Bullock groaned, throwing his head back in exasperation.

                “We’re on a roof top Nygma, don’t tempt me…”

                “A hole…I’m a _hole,”_ he relented, his teeth grinding restlessly as another shiver racked though his body.

                “Okay!—Relevance?” Essen snapped, holding a hand up.

                “Well, there’s a hole; a surgical incision, in our victim’s abdomen, certainly post-mortem. My guess—killer was looking for something. I’ll have to examine the body more fully back in the lab—“

                “You mean the medical examiner will,” she corrected abruptly. Edward blinked in surprise, but continued.

                “Well, but—“

                “You handle forensics, Ed. The bodies belong to Dr. Guerra. He has made formal complaints, I can’t cover for you anymore!”

                He stared at her for a moment, gauging her reaction. He offered another tight smile.

                “I read you ma’am…Loud and clear.”

                As he turned away from the group his smile dissipated.

                _The bodies belong to Dr. Guerra._

                He scoffed. As if that buffoon knew the first thing about investigation. It wouldn’t take much to sneak into the examination room behind Guerra’s back, the man simply had no sense.

 

 

                Edward hummed quietly to himself as he looked down at the corpse stretched atop the metal table. He flexed his gloved hands before prodding at the opening in the corpse. With a slight grimace, he slid his hand inside, almost mindlessly prodding for vital organs.

                _The killer must have been looking for something._

“Find what’s missing, find the motive….” He muttered, his eyes drifting to the ceiling. He inwardly sighed as his gaze drifted across the room and rested on Guerra’s nameplate by the door.

                His lips tugged into a frown. While Arnold Flass was no longer a problem, (thanks to Detective Gordon for that matter) having been arrested for murder, Guerra seemed to have become the primary antagonizing force for him at the precinct.

                _Things would be much easier if he were to simply…..leave._

Of course it wouldn’t solve all of his problems, but it certainly could lessen the load of burden. Sometimes it would be easier to find a scapegoat for his _other_ vexing issues. His movements stilled as a certain short haired blonde drifted into his mind. It was different with it short, or maybe she seemed different? He shook his head. He began to move his fingers but paused as he prodded an empty pocket.

                _That’s it._

His lips stretched into a smile at the discovery, and glanced to his side, almost expecting Bree to be standing beside him, he arms folded across her chest and that lopsided grin on her face.

                He missed that grin.

                His heart faltered at the sound of the door swinging open.

                “There, see! I told you!”

                “Ohhhhh…..oh dear…” he muttered, more to himself than to the newfound company.

                “ _Get_ your hand out of that corpse…. _now_ ,” Captain Essen ordered in a low tone, trailing in behind Guerra. Edward gaped at them in near horror, slowly withdrawing his hand. It was as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

                _Except….the cookie jar is a corpse_

_And Guerra and Essen are the parental figures._

He shook his head.

                _Horrible example._

                “I was just passing by, and I umm…ehhhh I-I was just curious,” he sputtered, “Ah….hahaha” he chuckled nervously throwing his arms up in a dramatic shrug, his arms moving of their own accord.

“What was I thinking?” he added, before gently smacking his forehead, a smudge of blood splattering onto his face, “I—sorry. It won’t happen again— _promise_!”

“Do something about this, or I’m going over your head,” Guerra said in a near growl, shooting Essen a stern look, “ _I’m_ the medical examiner!....Not this…chippering _loon_!”

_That man is like a child throwing a tantrum._

Edward stood in mortified silence as Essen’s arms remained crossed tightly across her chest as she nearly rolled her eyes and shot Ed an apologetic glance.

“I’m sorry, Ed…till further notice you are suspended.”

“Finally,” Guerra remarked before turning and swiftly exiting the room. Captain Essen’s jaw clenched slightly as she avoided Edward’s helpless gaze. She held up her hand and quietly exited the room.

Ed gaped, his bloodied, gloved hands falling limply to his sides as he stared at the empty doorway.

“….but I found something,” he said quietly to no one in particular.

 

 

Edward hovered over his desk, his figures idly sprawled over its almost empty surface. A small cardboard box sat lonely on the expanse of wood, filled with little knickknacks and a few notebooks that made up the extent of his belongings. He swallowed a hard lump in his throat as disappointment tugged sharply in his chest. This couldn’t be the end, could it?

_Not that anyone here would care._

His fingers drew into a fist, his knuckles turning white. He shook his head. Perhaps it was not completely true…

                He reached into his box and picked up a small nub of wood that perhaps had been a pencil at one point. He twirled it between his thumb and forefinger for a moment, drawing it closer to his face in examination.

                _Yes_. He knew what he had to do.

                His feet began to move of their own accord as he made his way down to the file annex. His stomach fluttered at the thought of seeing the sweet strawberry blond again, even if it was for the last time. He steadied his hand from shaking as he reached the frosted glass door of the annex. The door drifted open and he allowed it to fall shut behind him.

“Miss Kringle…” he began warily, arms latched together behind his back, “I came to tell you that I’ve—“ he trailed off, eyes flickering down to her face.

“Have…you been crying?” he asked softly, genuine concern creeping into his voice.

“No…I-I’m fine,” she said, he pony-tail swinging as she quickly climbed to her feet. She wiped her face as she swiftly turned and walked to her desk.

“But I can see tears, on your face,” he remarked, approaching the desk.

How could she say she was not crying? Did she underestimate his ability of observation?

 “Is it because your friend Detective Flass was arrested?”

Kringle stiffened, not meeting his eyes as she pretended to shuffle the papers on her desk. She gave a quick sniff.

“What do you need, Mr. Nygma?”

“Yes….” He shuffled nervously, “I’ve been suspended….and won’t be seeing you anymore,” he said with a hard swallow, his eyes flickering down, back to her face, then down again.

_Wow, she is distractingly beautiful…_

“So, I wanted to return this pencil,” he said, bringing his arm forward to reveal the pathetically stump-like scrap of wood that may have one point identified as a pencil. “I took it from your office some time ago and kept meaning to return it…..Used to be longer.”

She blinked, staring at it a moment before carefully taking it from his grasp, her eyes not leaving the stump-pencil.

“You’re an odd man Mr. Nygma…”

Edward stood in silence a moment, not really sure how to take her comment.

“….but I’m sorry you’ve been suspended,” Kringle added with a sniff and a light shrug, “I wish something could be done…”

Edward’s heart leapt. It was small, but he felt it, like a blossoming warmth in the pit of his stomach. The edges of his lips twitched upward into a small smile as he turned to leave. As he approached the door, he glanced back once more with a larger smile, his shoes squeaking against the linoleum floor as he turned on his heel.

_Kristen Kringle._

Kristen, with the eyes like a meadow, and hair strawberry kissed, and her cool exterior behind those horn-rimmed glasses. Sure, she never showed the most warmth at his attempts to charm her, but if he were to be honest with himself, it was part of her allure.

_“I don’t want to see you hurt by a girl you don’t even know…I care about you too much to watch you deal with that.”_

Ed’s satisfied grin faded as Bree’s words resounded in his mind.

_“I care about you too much—“_

He froze as it hit him like a hammer to the chest. All of this time—that had been what she had been trying to tell him.

“H-how could I miss it…….?” He muttered, hand smacking his forehead and ran through his hair. It all made so much more sense! Her snappiness and cryptic statements, it all made sense.

She _cared._

Kirsten was an alluring conundrum in a pencil skirt. Poised, intellectual, and refreshing as cool rain shower. But Bree…..she was a sizzling ember, warm and comforting, but scalding. An equal and opposite, a _partner._ Her biting wit, and insatiable curiosity, hair like a lion’s mane and steel in her veins. There was no hiding from her. She cut through it all. She _saw_ him. _And it was terrifying._

But despite _seeing_ him, she still cared.

_And I hurt her._

He thought with a stiff swallow.

He needed to fix this.

 

 

He found her by the copying machine, balancing a cup of coffee atop a stack of papers.

“Bree!” he called out, shuffling beside her, his hands latched together behind his back.

Her eyes widened for a moment as she looked up and nearly spilt the coffee. It may have been his imagination, but he could have sworn he caught a smile on her lips before she flattened them into a nearly stoic expression.

“Oh….Ed,” she said evenly.

She sounded like everyone else at the precinct. The thought pulled painfully at his chest. He forced a tight smile offered a curt nod.

Her eyes flickered across his face for a moment before she frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

He blinked, taken aback by her inquiry. His smile fell abruptly.

“W-what do you mean? How did you….?”

“You did that thing with your lips and….” Her eyes fluttered shut as her brows furrowed. She quickly shook her head, “..nevermind, what do you need?”

His mouth hung loosely for a moment, desperately searching for the words he had tirelessly rehearsed in his mind. He pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose as he looked down.

“Well…..a few things; two to be exact.”

Bree placed the coffee and papers on the table beside her. Her arms folded across her chest as her eyes met his.

“Go on.”

“I can bring back the dead; make you cry, make you laugh, make you young; I am born in an instant yet last a life time. What am I?”

He saw the gears turning behind her widened eyes, causing the edges of his lips play upward into a small smile. It made her look so delicate.

So unlike her.

“Memories…?” she offered in that uncertain tone she always seemed to adopt when answering his riddles. It was almost as if she thought he would scold her for an incorrect answer, he mused. His smile grew as he nodded.

“And the memories that we’ve created are some of the few good ones I have left…..and I still think we need more,” he said carefully, gauging her reaction. She blinked and he wasn’t sure if it was a trick of lighter, but he swore he saw her lip quiver for the briefest moment. A wisp of hair fell into her face and she made no move to fix it.

“I’m sorry….. I never wanted to hurt you,” his throat bobbed as he swallowed stiffly, his eyes raising. “Last time we spoke……did you…..mean to tell me that you care for me?” he said at a near whisper.

She said nothing for a long moment and avoided his gaze.

“You know the answer to that question, genius.”

His mouth fell ajar for a long pause. She met his eyes once more with newfound boldness. It was as if the wind had been knocked out of him and words he meant to say just evaporated into nothing.

“……right…….”

“So…..what was number two?” she offered, a wry humor sneaking back into her tone. She gave a small smile.

His stomach dropped once more at the dreadful reminder of his current predicament.

“I…I’ve been suspended until further notice.”

Bree’s smile vanished.

“Wait, _what_? What happened?”

“It would seem Dr. Guerra was unsympathetic to my superior examination skills…” he half-mumbled. Her eyes lit up with understanding.

“Oh no…Ed. That’s ridiculous, this is the _same_ guy who called an ice pick to the back a suicide—“

“I _know_ that,” he snapped, bitterness creeping into his voice, “But there is nothing that can be done…”

Her brows furrowed together as they held each other’s gazes for a long few seconds. She sighed and grabbed his hand, giving it a light squeeze.

“Well….I wish you the best of luck…..”

“You too…”

She let her hand fall back to her side and finally their eye contact. She grabbed the papers and stared down at the coffee on the counter, seemingly pondering something.

“And Ed?”

“Yes?”

“I’ll miss you…..”

And with that, once more he was at a loss for words as she turned and left. His eyes trailed after her as she rounded the corner.

In that moment, he realized he watched her leave a time too many.

_I can’t leave the precinct. Not like this._

It was so grotesquely simple, and oh _so_ fitting.

All it took was a key to the morgue and quite a large trunk. Oddly enough, no one asked any questions. It seemed as though all of his (rather ingenious) out-of-the-ordinary experiments had paid off. He had mapped the route to a tee, carefully navigating the less traveled back passages of the precinct, and choosing a time statistically least likely for any officer to wander into the men’s locker room.

His shoes squeak softly against the marbled floor as he lugs the heavy black case behind him. Its wheels creak in protest under the weight of the load and Ed bit back a loud huff as he stopped and quietly pushed open the door to the locker room.

Despite knowing that no one would be downstairs at this time, he still nearly tip-toed over to the lockers. Propping the case up, he slid onto the wooden bench, hunching over next to Guerra’s personal locker. He bit his lip to hold back a giggle as he reached into his pocket and retrieved his small tool kit, and grabbing a small jimmy.

“Almost too easy…” he muttered as the lock clicked under his dexterous maneuvers. He smiled, his glasses glinting under the dim fluorescence as he gave the case a sidelong glance. This time he did giggle.

“I guess I’ll just have to give him a _hand_.”

                _Oh yes,_ such necessary evils would be sweet revenge.

 

 

                It hadn’t taken long for the plan to unfold. Once set in motion, it was much like an avalanche. Several officers had caught Guerra clutching the planted severed limbs and Captain Essen had been quick to dismiss him. Of course, with that famous expression of hers that masterfully fused confusion, horror, and exasperation.

                “Ed, you’re reinstated,” she said with as little as a wave before she vanished once more. Of course her actions did little to hinder the blossoming joy that sprung into his chest, manifesting in the broad smile illuminating his cheeks.

                He reached under his desk and picked up his cardboard box of belongings.

                _I’ll recategorize these later._

He mused as he leapt to his feet and nearly skipped down the stairs, eager to inform Miss Kringle of the good news. As he passes through the floor of the main hall, restless murmurs caught his attention. His eyes trailed to the subject of staring officers.

                _Oh, Detective Gordon has a lady friend!_

Gordon stood beside his desk, kissing the dark haired woman he had seen from before. Quite passionately, from his observation.

                Ed beamed, his cheeks taking on a rosy glow as he turned away and sauntered towards the File Annex.

                He pushed open the frosted glass door.

“I’m not leaving!” he declared, without so much as a hello, beaming, “After all!”

The strawberry curtain of Kringle’s ponytail swayed as her head swiveled up from the file cabinet. She nudged it shut before speaking up.

“…what?”

“It turns out that the medical examiner is leaving, so Captain Essen decided to reinstate me!” he chimed, his hands interlocking behind his back.

“Oh…..okay….good,” she said glumly, turning back to her desk. His smile began to fade. He turned stiffly, disheartened by her lack of enthusiasm.

“Mister Nygma….” She pipes up after a moment. Ed practically jumped as he twirled back towards her with a hopeful grin.

“You….owe me a new pencil,” she says simply, a small smile playing on her lips.

His heart leapt once more.

He giggled softly as he pivoted back towards the door.

                _Only one more person to see._

_\---------------------------------------------------------_

He found her slumped over a stack of papers, idly chewing on the end of her pen as her hand ran through her messy tresses. He found himself smiling at the pure candidacy of the moment.

                “Bree!”

                Her entire form jumped

                “Ow!” she said, swearing under her breath as her knee hit the desk. Her pen dropped from her grasp and her head swiveled around.

                “Oh….Ed!” she said with a small chortle, but her smile faded quickly.

“Wait….I thought—“

                “That’s what I wanted to tell you, come over here!”

                Before she barely offered a note of protest he grabbed her hand, pulling her from the swivel chair towards the forensics lab. She nearly tripped trying to keep up with his long strides. He stopped when they both stood in the lab.

                “I’ve been reinstated!” Edward said with a wide grin. She blinked for a moment, processing the information.

                “Ed, that’s amazing!” she said throwing her arms around him. Before he could wrap his arms around her she was already back where she had been standing. However short, the loss of warmth made him internally sigh.

                “I heard about Dr. Guerra being suspended, but I wasn’t sure if you had gotten your job back. Speaking of which, isn’t that crazy? Sure he was an asshole, but I never really pinned him as the kind of guy to steal body parts.”

                “It is quite the _enigma_ , isn’t it….”

                He couldn’t help himself. He chuckled inwardly.

                “I suppose….” Her eyes narrowed slightly, her lips pouching ever slightly.

                _Oh dear._

Her eyes remained downcast, but her brows creased together. Ed’s face remained placid but he grew rigid.

                “It’s funny how he happens to get caught just whe—“

                “—I’m sure it’s nothing!” he broke off her thought with an uneasy laugh. Now her eyes shot up to meet his. He mentally slapped himself.

                _Well that did the opposite of want I wanted. Now she’s suspicious!_

                “You know…..don’t you think it’s a bit odd—“

“—No.”

“— _That_ Dr. Guerra stored the body parts in his locker?” she continued despite his protests.

“I mean, don’t you think there’d be a more effective means to smuggle limbs if he actually wanted to steal them?”

                Ed froze and gave a tight smile.

                “Well the man _is_ an imbecile….” he offered.

                “Still, I th—“

                “Gee, did you see Detective Gordon with his lady friend out there?”

                “No, I---“

                “It was really something!” he laughed airily, “ I—“

                “Edward!” Bree snapped in annoyance, narrowing her eyes, “You haven’t even let me finish a sentence! What’s gotten into you?”

                He gaped at her a moment, opening his mouth to speak, but quickly shutting it again. His gaze drifted down. He wrung his hands lightly before meeting her eyes. The concern in them drew small smile from the corners of his lips.

                “I am just two and two,” he began, his smirk growing as a sudden urge sparked inside of him.

“ I am _hot_. I am _cold_. I'm the parent of numbers that cannot be told. I'm a gift beyond measure, a matter of course. And I'm yielded with pleasure—even taken by force,” he said quietly, stepping close to her. She had to crane her neck up to look him in the eye, and she furrowed her brows. He lifted his hand, his fingers ghosting across her cheek.

                “ _What_. Am. I.?”

                The silence fell thickly between them as she stared at him a moment.

                “I don—hmmmf!” she began but was abruptly cut off by Edward’s lips pressing against hers.

                Her arms flailed for a moment before she seemed to realize what was happening. She froze as he pulled back, his hand that had been on her cheek falling to his side. She gaped at him, speechless as they locked gazes. His heart thumped painfully loud in his chest. He swore the entire precinct could hear it. It echoed in his head, urging him to _run_.

He didn’t. He felt his lips twitch upward in an electric form of anticipation and curiosity. He swallowed hard, but he couldn’t completely say it was from nervousness.

Without missing another beat, it was his turn to gasp as she grabbed the lapels of his suit, pulling him forward as she leaned up, pressing her lips to his. His eyes widened as he half-stumbled into her, pressing her back to the wall as he met her lips. He cupped her cheek as his lips moved against hers with fervor.

                _Her lips are so warm._

Her cool fingers ran across the back of his neck and he half-shivered into her touch. He wasn’t quite sure where to put his hands, so he decided to rest them on her waist, grasping and pulling her closer.

                _They tasted like embers._


	17. Chapter 17

“You can’t have both, you know.”

Bree’s voice sounded far away even to herself, her still blood pumping loudly in her ears as she stared at Edward’s lips. Their breath still intermingled as her statement hung dryly in the small space between them.

She didn’t know why that was the first thing to pop into her mind as her lips moved away from his. She wanted to kiss him again, but she bit her lip. She had to be honest to herself and to him.

                “Hmm?”

                “You can’t _do this_ and pursue Kringle too.”

                He blinked, confusion plain in his eyes.

                “But……why not?” he began, his voice strained.

                She sighed, her eyes flickering across his painfully naïve expression of confusion…..

And hurt.

                “Because Ed,” she said with a slow inhale, “it’s not fair….for you, for me, for her….”

                “I don’t understand.”

                Bree shook her head, her arms folding across her chest as she tried to avoid his gaze.

                “Look…..you like her, we’ve established that, and that’s all fine and well. I know how you feel about her…..” she clenched her jaw, searching for the right words.

“And it’s never really been clear how you feel about me……I don’t want to be an _afterthought_.”

“—you’re not an afterthought” Edward interjected, but she swiftly cut him off.

 “—If you had to pick, who would you choose first?”

His mouth opened but no sound came out and he swiftly closed it once more. His eyes had grown wide and his lips pressed into a tight line.

She waited for a response, but none came.

                “That’s what I thought,” she said almost with a note of bitterness she fought to keep out of her tone. After another pause and a hard swallow she continued, meeting his gaze.

“People always want what they can’t have, and I’m not going to sit around waiting forever. If you need a friend, I’m here. I will _always_ be here for you….but I’m _not going to be a romantic an afterthought._ ”

She turned towards the door and left him standing by the wall in shock. She barely made out the words underneath his breath.

_“But…..I care about you both.”_

               

* * *

 

 

                Bree stared down at the paper crinkled up on her desk, her shoulders hunched over as she rested her head on her hand.

                _This is dumb, stop being such a sore loser._

She berated herself internally.

                _What did you expect, for him to completely forget about his crush and choose you?_

Yes.

                Yes, she did, and that made it sting all the more. She shook her head.

                _Get over yourself._

She straightened her back and sat back up with a big sigh. She rolled her shoulders and looked back over at the bustling precinct.

                “The world won’t stop just because you do,” she breathed, turning back to her desk.

                Back to work.

 

 

* * *

 

                After the filed paperwork had made its way to the appropriate desks, Bree glanced at the clock, decided it would be a good time to slip away relatively unnoticed before the end of the day rush when a select few officers realize how far behind they are on paperwork and try to recruit her.

                As she hunched over her desk, grabbing her notebooks and pens and stuffing them into her bag, the squeak of shoes against marble made her eyes raise from the desk to lanky figure standing beside it.

                “Hey, Ed,” she said evenly, trying to conceal the conflicting flux of emotions shooting through her.

                “Bree.”

                He offered a tight smile, his hands interlaced behind him. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, his eyes flickering across her face.            

“I…….I meant it when I said I didn’t want to lose you,” he lightly shook his head, seemingly searching for the right words.

“I don’t want to lose you as a friend……as my _best friend_ ,” he muttered the last part under his breath as his gaze dropped to the floor.

                Bree blinked, her brows furrowing slightly. She wasn’t quite sure what she had been expecting, but this had not been it. He looked so…..vulnerable.

                _You can’t have both, you know._

Her own words didn’t seem to hold the same level of conviction as she reached out and lightly touched his arm. His eyes snapped up and met hers.

                “I’m not going anywhere.”

                His eyes widened a fraction before his lips quirked upwards into a slowly spreading grin. His posture seemed to straighten and his dark eyes shone a little brighter. After a moment he pursed his lips into what she had learned over time was his pondering expression.

                “But…..I do have one question for you,” he began.

                _Oh dear._

“Yep?”

“Miss Kringle…she was crying earlier…..Why do you think she was crying? Was it Flass?....Flass is a _Neanderthal._ How could she be sad about him leaving?”

It all poured out of him in one long stream of consciousness. She stared at him a moment, doubting he realized how awful his timing was. With an internal sigh, she decided to let it slide and help him out. She pondered this for a short moment, and it finally clicked.

                “Oh my god…..”

                “What?”

                “They were dating!”

                He eyed her skeptically, then his lips pulling into a distasteful grimace.

                “B-but how? How could she like someone like _that_?”

                She shrugged with a hint of exasperation.

                “It’s not like you can choose who you fall for,” she said while fighting the urge to roll her eyes. She settled on disapprovingly shaking her head.

                “Look, if you go after her, _whateve_ r. I’ve said my part, just _please_ talk about anything but her around me, deal?” she said a bit sharper than intended.

                “Deal,” he said with a smile, unphased.

                “Okay….I’ve gotta go. See you later.”

                She stood on her toes and pecked him lightly on the cheek, his face flushing almost instantaneously. She didn’t fight the smirk that played on her lips as she clutched her bag and scurried down the precinct steps.

                She reached into her bag, checking her phone for the time. As she zipped the pocket back up her gaze drifted back up and seeing a darkly dressed figure with a rather unusual walk, glancing around the precinct. Subconsciously she found herself slowing to a stop, meeting eyes with the suited stranger. The pale man frowned but a brief spark of recognition lit up his bright eyes. His mouth opened and then closed before blinking profusely.

                Her brows drew together as she gaped at him for moment, half raising a hand before mouthing

_You…_

It was the man who had been unconscious on the table during the entire Maroni-Electrocutioner ordeal. Memories flooded back to her. He had asked to use her phone. She closed her mouth and decided against saying anything. She broke eye contact and decided to keep walking, but she felt his eyes trail after her.

_Well that was uncomfortable._

She fought the urge to laugh despite herself as she pushed open the glass door out the precinct, allowing the icy wind to whip out around her.

 

* * *

 

 

As she reached her apartment she immediately changed into her workout attire, reality setting in. She needed to get some old fashion venting.

The jolting impact of her fists on the heavy bag and the slight sting of the material on her elbows felt cathartic.

It took everything out of her to sit there and let Edward continue to pursue a girl he didn’t even really know. She wanted to be angry with Kristen, she really did. In a way she was. She was angry about how Kristen made Edward feel and how she treated him. However, on the other hand, she hadn’t really done anything wrong aside from not viewing Ed the same way he viewed her. In a way she felt bad for her. Bree had been in that sort of position before.

Of course that did not make it any easier.

She continued to wail on the bag, alternating kicks and punches and elbows, the sound echoing in the empty room. Growing up in Gotham meant many things, including dealing with the unsavory aspects of life there. Her father had signed her up for muay Thai boxing classes at an early age. Until recently she never had a reason to use those skills, but hell, it was stress relieving.

But no amount of striking could ease the sting of rejection.

She kept punching until the blur of tears blinded her vision. With a shaky breath she wiped her eyes with her cloth-bound hands.

Retaliation of any kind would be juvenile and pointless, she knew….

But a little self-esteem booster never hurt.

     She wiped her forehead with her towel as she walked to her bag, grabbing her phone off the wooden bench. Her chest fluttered as she hit the call button.

                _Well, no use wallowing._

She mused, holding the phone to her ear as she chewed at her lip.

                “ _Hello?”_ the voice chimed on the line.

                “Hey, Harvey,” she smiled, staring out the window at the dim Gotham skyline.

 


	18. Chapter 18

With the final days of her internship looming over her, Bree tried to keep anything but her tentative job out of her mind. It was strange how much the bustling and chaotic precinct had grown on her.

                She sighed as she plopped a stack of forms on Detective Allan’s desk.

                “Miss Taylor.”

                She swiveled around to see Captain Essen approaching her. Immediately, she straightened her back and offered a polite smile.

                “Morning, Captain.”

                “I’ve come to discuss your application for a more permanent position.”

                Her heart practically leapt into her throat, but she tried to mask her anxiety without wavering her smile.

                “Have you…..reached a decision?” she offered a bit more timidly than intended.

                Essen gave a curt nod and a small smile, a rare thing Bree had realized, being a police captain in Gotham city.

                “I’ll need to set up a short interview for formality’s sake, but I believe we need a few fresh faces in the precinct. I can get you a desk job, and I saw you expressed interest in working with police sketch artists?”

                She gave a small nod.

                “Well then maybe you could shadow our current sketch artist, Todd. I’ll get back to you on those interview times,” Essen finished with a final nod as she turned and took her leave.

                Bree bit her lip to try and halt the stupid grin that stretched across her face. She cast her gaze to her shoes and released a small giggle before clearing her throat and trying to regain her composure.

                _Be professional Bree, be professional._

She chastised herself silently and turned to waltz up the staircase to her rickety little corner of the world.

 

 

                After the recent emotional back and forth of her friendship with Ed. (Or whatever it had become.) She decided it would be a good idea to spend time with people other than her only real friend at the precinct……or _anyone at_ all for that matter. As much as she hated to admit it, she had become something of a hermit between schoolwork, _work_ -work, and her _extracurricular_ investigations. Perhaps some good, old-fashioned human interaction would get her back on track.

Not long after reaching that decision, an uncharacteristically sunny day for Gotham arose and she found herself sitting once more across from Jessica at their favorite coffee shop, papers and Jess’s drawings sprawled out across the table. Bree raked her fingers through her short hair as she caught Jessica up to speed.

                Jessica’s brows furrowed into a concentrated look as Bree finished her account. Her hands steepled pensively before she smacked her palm down on the table.

“Dump his ass,” she declared plainly.

“Jess….we’re not dating.”

“And I repeat, _dump his ass_ ,” she said with a shrug.

Bree chuckled, shaking her head as her palms wrapped around the warm base of her coffee cup.

Jessica grabbed her pencil and began lightly shading one of her drawings.

“ _Hello world, my name is Bree and I like to shoot things and talk about boy problems while trying to fix the systematic flaws in the legal system.”_

“I do not sound like that,” she half-snorted in laughter.

                “Yes, you do,” she retorted with an idle gesture of her pencil wielding hand.

                Bree’s phone buzzed loudly against the wooden table and she moved perhaps a little too swiftly to grab it and look at the message. Jessica’s brows rose skeptically.

“You are _the_ worst texter on the face of this planet. It usually takes you a good hour to even read any of my messages. Who on earth are you talking to?” she inquired, setting the pencil back down onto the table, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

                “None of _your_ business,” Bree muttered, staring out the window. Jessica took the moment to reach out and snatch Bree’s phone from her hand.

                “Hey! No, give that back!” she half-ordered, half-laughed as she lunged across the table.

                “ _Nope_.”

“Jessica _Gilda_ Gold, bring that back this _instant_.”

Her face dropped. Jessica nearly fell out of her chair trying to slap her hand across Bree’s mouth. Bree grinned into her palm, murmuring it again mutely into her skin.

“Don’t you _dare_ say that name again in public. I regret ever telling you.”

Bree shrugged, rolling her eyes as she peeled Jessica’s hand off her mouth.

                “I stand by my previous request.”

                “Wait, _Harvey?_ Isn’t that Mr. hot lawyer guy you spilt coffee on?”

                “He’s not exactly a lawyer….”

                “—So it is!”

                “Yes but—“

                “Go for it.”

                “You don’t even know him.”

                “Doesn’t matter, just go for it. Anything to get you out of this rut,” she shrugged, tossing the phone back to Bree.

                “I suppose. There are definitely a lot better things to be doing than focusing on this, like watching paint dry, or hacking all of your social media accounts to show your middle name…..” Bree started before Jessica nearly choked on her coffee.

                “Exactly…..but without that last part.”

 

                ……………………………………………………………

                Despite her intentions to wait, later that night, she found herself getting ready for her first _real_ date in what seemed like ages. Dating had always been fairly low on her priority scale. It wasn’t that she thought there was anything wrong with it, she just found herself more occupied with other things.

                What surprised her more than anything was that she actually felt….. _nervous._ Or perhaps just anxious? The cocktail of emotions bubbling underneath put her decidedly on edge, and she idly picked at the hem of the casual dress she had slipped on. She took a deep breath, eyeing herself in the mirror as she slowly shook her head.

                “This was a stupid idea….stupid, _stupid,”_ she muttered and half jumped as her phone buzzed loudly on her kitchen countertop.

                She spun around snatched it, holding it between her ear and shoulder as she reached for her boots.

                “ _Hello?_ ” she chimed, nearly tripping on her shoelaces as she slipped them on.

                She had a feeling this may be a long night…

 

…………………………….

               

                “I do have to admit….I wasn’t really expecting you to call me.”

                Harvey offered a warm smile from the other side of the small booth they shared. The dim reflection of the neon _Open_ sign cast a glow of red and blue onto his shoulder in the dimly lit restaurant.

                “But at least I have the chance to introduce you to the _best_ Thai food in Gotham.”

                Bree smiled and gave a small shrug.

                “I’m sorry I was so flakey earlier….It’s been a bit complicated as of late. I _do_ have to say though, I want to see how this place stacks up against my personal favorite,” she said with a small laugh.

                He shook his head, his dark eyes crinkling playfully.

                “Oh, not a chance!”

                She gave a genuine smile. Harvey seemed to have that kind of effect on people, especially her. He had a special brand of charisma that made anyone want to relax and just smile.

                Conversation flowed far more easily than she had expected, considering where they had previously left off. She blamed that on his easy going demeanor. The talk mainly remained casual until they breached the topics of current events in the city.

“You need to keep an eye out when it comes to going to banks nowadays, which seems ridiculous because everyone has to go by there at _some_ time. You’ve heard about that group that calls themselves the Red Hood Gang, haven’t you?”

                Her heart nearly skipped a beat. She restrained herself from immediately offering an excited _yes_! That was _not_ supposed to be the normal reaction to a rampaging bank robbing gang in her city.

                Instead, she offered a noncommittal grunt of acknowledgement.

                “I’ve heard a thing or two about them…”

                Harvey sighed.

                “They’ve been nothing but trouble for publicity. The public is split, calling these guys modern day Robin Hoods, but they don’t realize how many people they put in danger during their escapades…”

                “Not to mention the fact they just threw that money around to get away from the cops…” she murmured in slight annoyance, earning a quirked eyebrow from Harvey. A smirk crept onto her lips as she shrugged.

                “I may know a bit more about this stuff than I let on.”

                A slow, lopsided grin slipped across his face as he eyed her in amusement.

                “Well aren’t you full of surprises.”

                That earned him a full laugh as she shook her head.

                “Oh, you have no idea.”

……………………………..

 

                The food came out and Bree bit back the noises that come from her mouth.

                “Oh my god….” She said after taking the first bite of food. She just stared at her plate in disbelief. “I think I just died and went to Thai food heaven.”

                Harvey laughed and nodded.

                “I told you so!”

                They ate in amiable silence until Harvey spoke up. Her mind kept wandering to the Red Hood Gang, and unsolved case files, and possible leads.

                “So, have you been doing anything fun other than working lately.”

                She nearly choked on her noodles as he seemed to read her mind, but she caught herself and gave a curt nod. _God,_ she _really_ wanted to tell him about her extra-curricular activities.

                “Well, I’ve been fairly busy with school work.”

                “I wouldn’t exactly call that _fun,_ but you’re getting your Master’s at GCU, right?

                “Yep! It _is_ a lot of work, but at least it’s about something I’m passionate about…..” she shifted in her seat a moment, idly playing with her chopsticks, “and working at GCPD gives me access to more information than the average citizen…..so sometimes I like to poke around in the unsolved cases….”

                Harvey’s eyes suddenly snapped up and met her sheepish expression.

                “ _Bree!”_ he whispered sharply. She bit her lip.

                “Don’t tell anyone!” she shot back, with a hint of regret.”

                He just blinked, staring at her in astonishment.

                “Bree….believe me, I want to fight corruption and find justice in this city more than anyone….but you have to be _careful_.”

                “It’s not like you’re very careful,” she replied without skipping a beat, feeling bold now that her secret was out there.

                “That’s not _the same_ ,” he said, a dark expression briefly crossing his features, “There are people in this city that make sure some of those cases aren’t solved for a _reason_. There are powerful people who don’t want prying eyes looking into these things.”

                “Which is exactly why I _need_ to.”

                “You need to leave the crime solving to the detectives.”

                “Really? Because it was those same detectives that gave me these _supposedly_ cold cases to archive!” she snapped, then realized she needed to bring her voice down.

“I’ve _helped_ people, Harvey. I _can_ help, and someday I will be doing my own investigating. I just don’t know how to just wait when I see people not doing the jobs they signed up for.”

Harvey looked around before leaning over the table, his voice low.

                “So, are you saying you’re some Nancy Drew type vigilante now?”

                She sighed in exasperation, running a hand through her hair.

                “I’m saying I always _have_ been some Nancy Drew type vigilante. Nothing has changed….I just wanted to come clean _to you_ about it.”

                He closed his mouth, his jaw clenching as he fell silent for a moment. His eyes swept across her face and absorbed her look of fierce determination. She was not going to back down. He sighed.

                “Look….I’m not saying that I don’t agree with you. I just…..want _you_ to be safe,”

                He reached across the table and placed his hand atop hers. Her gaze falls down to his grip and she hesitated a moment before grabbing his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

                “I understand that….but trust me,” she smiled softly. Her mind drifted back to her adventures with Edward. She found it funny that she always seemed to be the risk-taker, the one to throw the first punch. Figuratively, and literally, as she thought back to the office-complex-of-death. No….she wasn’t afraid of taking a few hits for the greater good. Her smile broadened.

                “I’m a lot tougher than I look.”

 

………………………………………………………………….

 

                An odd tenseness filled the air between them as Harvey took her back to her apartment. Possibly, she realized, because she likely had shattered whatever idea Harvey had of her before knowing about her hobby. And yet…..that didn’t stop her from turning towards him as they stood in front of her apartment complex. His eyes glimmered softly in the reflections of the streetlights as she met his gaze.

                “Do you….want to come inside?”

                His eyebrows rose a moment before he offered a small smile.

                “I’d love to.”

………………..

                As the door clicked shut behind them, Bree peeled off her coat and tossed it onto the back of the couch.

                “It’s not much, but it gets the job done,” she said, plopping down on the couch.

                Harvey raised his brows with a playful smirk.

                “Gets the job done?”

                Bree’s mouth hung ajar as she squeezed her eyes shut with a groan.

                “That’s……not what I meant.”

                Harvey laughed, settling down next to her.

                “Oh, I know,” he smiled sheepishly.

                Bree’s eyes drifted down as she played with the hem of her dress.

                “Look….I need to just get this off my chest….I’m _really_ sorry I bailed after we kissed in your office…”

                She pulled her knees up onto the couch, turning to face him.

                “The truth is….I had feelings for someone…..a _really_ good friend….and a coworker,” she sighed, trying to work up her courage.

“And….I really like you, but I made a judgement call, thinking things were going to work out,” she shook her head slowly, really not sure if telling him would help her case.

                “Nygma…” he said quietly, barely audible. Her eyes snapped to his before she softly nodded.

                “We….never really became involved. We mostly just became good friends…..and when I gave him the chance to do something…”

                “He didn’t take it.”

                “Yeah…but….it was more than that. He…he is _infatuated_ with this girl who couldn’t care less about him….she’s never even been nice to him……it, it doesn’t matter, I don’t even know why I’m telling you this.”

                His hand landed on her arm and she glanced up and saw his jaw clench and lips press into a tight line.

                “So am I _your_ backup plan then?”

                “No…..that’s just it though…..you’re _not_ a backup plan. I liked you before….and I _still do.”_ She shook her head again, “I just know that if you found out anywhere other than from me then it would come off that way….And I know there’s no real way I could make you believe me bu—“

                Her rambling was silenced mid-thought by his lips gently pressing against hers. After placing a single, lingering kiss, he leaned back slightly.

                “It’s okay. I get it….I understand why you did what you did.”

                His hand rested delicately on her cheek and she couldn’t bit the words back as they poured out of her. In something of a revelation, she realized why the entire Edward ordeal bothered her so much more than just dealing with rejection.

                “I just…..” she shook her head, fighting the lump that found its way into her throat, “I feel like I’m always the second choice…… I know it’s dumb. And it’s not just about Edward…..I feel like I’ve gone through my entire life, never being someone’s first pick.”

                She wasn’t sure if she heard it, but she could have sworn he half-scoffed before muttering quietly,

                “ _As if I don’t know how that feels,”_ as he scooted closer to her on the couch. But before she could respond he reached around her and pulled her against him, almost into his lap and whispered,

                “ _You’re my first pick,”_ before placing a kiss on her neck below her ear. Her breath caught and she leaned into his touch as his hand rested on her waist.

                Suddenly, an insistent buzzing of her phone on the countertop snapped her out of her reverie.

                “I gotta check that….” She said quietly.

                “Leave _it_ ,” he bit out sharply between gritted teeth, his grip on her waist tightening uncomfortably.

                “No, you don’t understand, no one calls me this late. Something could be wrong…” she said, untangling herself from his grasp with an air of reluctance from Harvey.

                “It’s Edward….”she said quietly, picking the phone off the counter and eying it. She hadn’t even realized Harvey had gotten off the couch until he snatched it from her grasp, hitting the red button.

                She gaped at him, her eyes narrowing.

                “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”

                Harvey took a few steps back, placing the phone out of reach.

                “Stopping a waste of your time _,”_ he slowly neared her again, his expression dark. “He hasn’t exactly earned the right to have you on his beck and call, has he?”

                She subconsciously backed up, her back colliding with the counter. However, he eyes remained in a steeled glare as he closed the distance between them.

                “I understand that, but it doesn’t mean you get to make that call for me,” she said between gritted teeth as she considered lunging for the phone just to spite him.

“Why should you even care, huh?” she shot back, a little annoyed by his audacity.

“Because he doesn’t _care about you_!” Harvey’s voice rose to a shout as he neared her, his brown eyes gleaming darker than she had ever seen them. A scowl of distaste contorted his features as he reached out and grabbed her shoulders, his fingertips digging painfully into her arms.

“He doesn’t _want_ you,” he growled.

She tried to hold her straight-faced façade. Bree blinked away the tears that pooled in the corners of her eyes as she shook her head, not able to meet his gaze. A cocktail of anger and sadness pooling inside of her, the sadness overruling her desire to clock him in the face with her fist.

“Don’t you see? He wants someone _else_ , but I don’t, I want _you.”_

Her gaze snapped up as his grip loosened and a hand rested on the back of her neck.

He kissed her, more gently than she had expected in his upset state. No, she wasn’t going to have any of that.

She thought, not pushing him back, but letting her fist clench in the fabric of his dress shirt. She kissed him back, hard, teeth scraping across his lips. She felt his breath hitch against her lips and he responded immediately, an arm dropping to her lower back and pulling her body flush against his. Bree barely registered as tears idly leaked from the corners of her eyes, but she took no notice, feeling the jolt of anger and confusion much more potent in her system.

Her fingers released his shirt and slowly migrated to rest on the back of his neck. Their lips melded together into a desperate, erratic tempo. She pushed him back slightly, their kiss breaking for the briefest moment.

“If you ever snatch anything away from me ever again I will snap you like a _fucking twig_.”

He smiled, breathily laughing into her lips, clearly amused, but said nothing, pulling her back towards him and nipping sharply at her neck and stopping to leave a mark.

He slid one hand into her hair as his lips crashed back against hers. His other hand ghosted down her back and pressed her tightly against him. He turned her so she slowly backed into her bed in the corner of the room. Her knees buckled when they hit the edge, sending her tumbling down, Harvey nearly landing atop her if he hadn’t caught himself. His large hands trailed up her bare thighs, pushing up the hem of her dress, and tugging her hips closer.

His kisses were devouring, an attack on the senses. Her dress bunched up at her hips, and she helped him slid it over her head. His lips dropped to the bare skin of her stomach, trailing downward. He glanced up as they rested at the hem of her underwear, his eyes imploring a silent question. Her chest heaved as she nodded swiftly, lifting her hips as he tugged the fabric down her legs. His eyes were dark as he ducked between her legs, nipping at her sensitive upper thighs and earning a broken gasp from her. He trailed his tongue over her slit and she bucked her hips against him at the sudden sensation.

_Damn, it has been a while._

He reached around her thighs, pulling her hips closer to him as his thumb traced her clit. Suddenly, he moved forward, massaging her center with his tongue. One of her hands clawed at the comforter while the other raked through his hair as she bucked against him.  A soft moan escaped her lips as he sucked on her clit, his tongue flicking across her most sensitive areas.

She tugged at his hair, pulling his head upward. He shot her a brief questioning glance before she yanked him towards her, him nearly landing atop her. He smiled against her lips as he settled between her legs. Her fingers set to work on unbuttoning his shirt. He shrugged it off and her hands splayed across his solidly muscled chest. He reached behind her and unclasped her bra. His lips fell back to her neck, leaving a trail of hot, open mouthed kisses down to her collarbone. She gave a soft gasp as he nipped, soothing the small red marks with his tongue. His palm gently cupped and kneaded one breast as his tongue flicked over her perked nipple. She could feel the hard ridge of his erection press against her stomach through his trousers. He groaned against her skin as she grasped him through the fabric. He leaned back ever so slightly so she could reach the zipper. The next moments fell into a blur of clothing frantically being discarded and the desperate unwrapping of the condom Bree fished out from the drawer beside her bed. His hands grasped at her wrists, pinning them beside her head as he slowly eased inside of her. Her eyes shut as she gasped quietly, Harvey’s forehead rested against hers. When her eyes flickered open they met his. His usual boyish expression long gone, only to be replaced by something far darker and more intense…..and she likely should not have found it as arousing as she did. He slowly rocked his hips as she adjusted around him, his thrusts growing deeper as he moved.

“Oh….. _Bree,”_ he groaned against the skin of her neck, his hands releasing her wrists and migrating down her sides to her hips. One of her hands scratched down his back as he picked up his pace, his grip tight on her hips.

Her other hand wound into his messy dark hair, pulling his head to her lips. He pushed his tongue past her lips and explored her mouth. It felt as if he were devouring her as he pumped his hips in deep, sharp thrusts.

“Harvey…” she muttered as a tense, white hot pressure built up inside of her. Her fingers scrunched tightly around the fabric of her comforter as her head fell back onto the bed. She peaked, locking her legs around Harvey’s hips as she came with a light, airy moan. As he thrust, he didn’t seem to be far behind her as he clutched at her waist, speeding up erratically before suddenly stilling inside of her, his groan muffled between the juncture of her neck, and the fabric of the comforter.

She could have sworn she heard him whisper something into the fibers. Softly, but surely, she thought he’d said,

 “ _mine_.”

She didn’t want to think of any future implications this night would bring right now. Now…..she just wanted to enjoy the human warmth on top of her, the quiet sound of labored breathing growing steady, and the look in his eyes as his head slowly drifted upward, their eyes meeting. He gave a soft smile, boyish and almost a bit hilariously shy. She couldn’t help but smile back, lazily running her fingers through his hair….

She let him stay the night. It only seemed right. She didn’t want to feel like he was a casual _fuck,_ or vice versa…but there was nothing casual about the way his arms wrapped so tightly around her middle, his nose buried in her hair and her back pressed so tightly against his bare chest, or the way the blankets wrapped around their drowsy forms.

No. She didn’t want to think about anything other than that moment. Not about the pain that got her there, or the look on Edward’s face when he would inevitably find out….

_Oh dear._


	19. Chapter 19

_Too many unaccounted for variables._

                Edward’s hand balled into a fist, scrunching the paper beneath his fingertips into a small, asymmetrical ball.

                “There has to be a better way to do this…” he muttered incomprehensibly under his breath with a sigh of frustration.

                He had put his friendship with Bree on the line for Kristen. There was no going back, despite making his feelings for both of them clear.

                He had been clear, had he not?

                _You can’t have both._

Bree’s words echoed through his head as he stared at blank sheet of notebook paper on the desk. Her words seemed to be the only thing clear in his hazy mind……and the feeling of her warm breath against his lips….

                He shook his head. _No_. He had made a split decision….and now he had to follow through.

                He was running all of the scenarios, attempting to gauge all of Kristen’s potential reactions.

                _“You can do so much better than Arnold Flass…..like me!”_

The words he wanted to say so badly burned insistently at the tip of his tongue…..but they would never work. He fought the hard lump forming in his throat as Kristen’s words to Flass echoed in his memory.

                _He’s so……..weird._

His lips pressed into a tight line. He had to try and act…..not _weird_. Whatever that meant.

                He took a deep breath and stood.

………………..

………

                He caught a glimpse of her walking into the forensics lab, his pace hastening with a jolt. As he approached the door, he slowed to a halt, staring at the doorknob for a moment before summoning the courage to push it open. As soon as he stepped inside, he tried to plaster an amiable smile onto his face. As he darted inside, Kristen turned towards the door abruptly with a gasp.

“Oh my…”

Edward smiled, his hands hanging stiffly by his sides.

_Oh dear._

He went blank. He had rehearsed a rather eloquent dialogue, and suddenly, all thoughts seemed to just dart from his brain. He blinked, the first relevant facts spurting from his mouth almost of its own accord.

“Fun fact!” he began with a nervous laugh, gesturing with his index finger, before swallowing hard. He pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

 “The human species attract members of the opposite sex via pheromones secreted through saliva, sweat, and urine.”

 _Oh no…._ he had said the wrong thing, judging by her reaction. He needed to think fast.

“Gross…” Kristen said, her face scrunched in distaste as she moved to pass Edward.

“But….” His breath caught in his lungs.

_He was going to lose his chance._

He side-stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

“—one can’t always trust such an animalistic method to find a suitable partner….”

He finished quickly, causing Kristen to actually tilt her head, her eyes flickering across his face. The short pause between them seemed to go on an eternity.

“What are you….trying to tell me?”

Without missing a beat, Edward continued.

“Arnold Flass was released…I...I knew that you two were dating….and if the attraction wasn’t intellectual…..how _could it_ _be_ with that gorilla….” he fought back a scoff, but the bitterness was plain in his tone. He continued regardless.

“Then it must be _physical……._ ” He trailed off, unable to meet her uncomfortable gaze.

“It’s just….he’s such a _bad,_ bad…bad…”

He cursed himself silently at his inability to form intellectual, coherent thoughts around her.

“—bad….”

Suddenly, he froze at the gentle touch on his sleeve. His eyes locked onto hers. It was nearly impossible not to look at her hand on his forearm.

“I appreciate your concern…but it won’t….be necessary. I realize that there are far better men in the world than Arnold Flass.”

His heart leapt, the spot on his sleeve where she had touched still seemed to latch onto her presence even as she dropped her arm back to her side.

She gave a small smile, offering a curt nod as she turned and all but darted out of the lab.

Despite her sudden departure, he couldn’t fight the smile creeping cross his lips any more than the extra pep in his step as he crossed the room with an elated sigh.

_There’s hope._

_…………………………._

He wanted to shout with joy to the world that he had a _chance_ with her. He wanted to brainstorm date ideas; endearing, _non_ -menacing ways to ask her on a date. He had to go tell Bree!

His brain jumped to the conclusion almost automatically. His beaming smile dimmed.

_Oh…._

His mind wandered back to her agitated expression and somewhat distressed tone.

_“I’ve said my part, just please talk about anything but her around me, deal?”_

Unfortunately, he realized, that encompassed a larger spectrum of conversation than he had anticipated. In fact, he had recently been avoiding Bree just so he wouldn’t have to see that look of mild disappointment in her eyes whenever he mentioned Kristen’s name…..an odd cocktail of emotions, disappointment one of them,  and definitely a bit of sadness…..

He hated seeing her look at him like that….

But possibly also a hint of jealously…..?

He didn’t want to admit how much he secretly enjoyed that.

Who else did he really have to talk with?

Bullock made it clear not to go to him for relationship advice…..Gordon was nowhere in sight. None of the other officers or detectives really took the time to ever talk to him….

There was Bree……and, well….. _Bree_.

He hadn’t really taken much initiative to talk to many other people. His work took up much of his time, considering he genuinely enjoyed examining evidence and casefiles. If he wasn’t working, perhaps he was tinkering, or solving puzzles.

He frowned as he crossed the bustling main precinct floor. His gaze drifted up the stairs and he froze as he noticed a familiar form clutching a tall stack of files near the banister. He swallowed hard.

She seemed concentrated on the task on hand, oblivious to his gaze. Her brows furrowed, hair in curled wisps framing her face. Her lips seemed pursed in thought….

_Lips that had been so soft and warm._

He swallowed stiffly, quickly shaking his head. It was almost as if she sensed his eyes on her, her head rose, glancing up. Their eyes locked for the briefest moment before he abruptly diverted his gaze, darting in the opposite direction with his head down…..even if the lab he needed to get to was in fact, the other direction.

                He wouldn’t be able to keep this up for long….

                But those were negative thoughts reserved for another time. For now…..how to win over Miss Kringle….?

 

………………………………….

               

                _Flowers._

Flowers were cute, romantic…..completely _not_ menacing, right?

                Surely, they were traditional enough for her to respect, and simple, considering her dislike of his puzzles and riddles….He frowned at the thought, but tried not to linger too long. She didn’t _need_ to know just how meticulously he had chosen each stem. Each flower breed and petal number chosen to reflect his adoration of her……no….she did not _need_ to know that. (Despite how much he silently commended himself for being such a romantic.)

                Regardless, he rehearsed the lines in his head on repeat as he took a deep breath, clutching the bouquet behind his back.

                Miss Kringle’s back was turned to him as he carefully approached. He lightly cleared his throat. She turned around, away from the officer she had been conversing with. Her brows rose as her eyes flickered across his face.

“Oh, Mr. Nygma…”

She said in a rather guarded tone. Edward smiled, taking a deep breath.

“Miss Kringle……I was wondering if you had dinner plans this evening?”

He chimed, struggling to keep his composure and hide the flowers behind his back. She froze, her gaze widening slightly in a small revelation.

“Oh…..ah…actually I, I do…with Tom…..have you met Tom?”

She stepped aside slightly and gestured to the officer beside her. Her brows furrowed in concern as the tall officer with a lopsided grin stepped forward with an extended hand. Edward’s smile immediately fell, but he half-heartedly shook the man’s hand.

“You’re the guy who likes riddles!” the man remarked at an unnecessarily loud volume, “….Hey, what has hands but can’t clap?”

Edward’s eyes flickered to Kristen and then back to Dougherty. His attempt at a polite smile fell into something of a grimace.

_Is this buffoon serious?_

“….a clock,” Ed remarked flatly, mildly insulted by his pathetic attempt to be clever.

“Correct,” Dougherty said with a short laugh and a too-wide, wry smile.

“Your good!” the man looked over to Kristen with raised brows, “He’s good!”

Edward resisted the urge to shake his head as he directed his attention back to Kristen.

“Am I…correct to assume that this is your….your new boyfriend?”

The question left a foul taste in his mouth.

“Yeah,” Kristen began rather sheepishly, “yes….I guess so,” she said, adjusting her glasses and diverting her gaze to the ground.

“You betcha!” Dougherty cut in, slapping her on the rear. She jumped slightly and shot him a look, but otherwise remained silent.

Edward felt as if he were about to be sick.

“Congratulations sir…” he said simply, biting back all manner of the vicious commentary in his mind.

“Thank you…” Dougherty said with a smile that held a bit too much pride, and he turned back to Kristen, “Well we should probably…get going.”

“Okay…” she said, barely a whisper as she ducked away from Edward, not meeting his gaze.

“It’s nice to meet’cha…..Riddle man, next time…” he pointed to Ed with a chuckle,

 “I’m gonna stump you.”

Edward was not sure if he ever had given a more half-hearted forced smile.

“Yes….next time.”

His eyes trailed behind them as they exited the precinct. A sudden wave of anger flashed through him.

_The audacity._

The hand that grasped the bouquet dropped to his side. He brought the flowers in front of him and snapped them with all of his strength, ignoring the thorns and callous leaves. He dumped them in the trashcan beside him, ignoring the curious gazes of a few inquiring officers around him. His fists clenched as he stared at the ground. He didn’t even notice the figure approaching him until he felt a light tap on his shoulder, causing his gaze to snap up abruptly. He dimly registered his name being called.

“Ed…..?”

His glare, steeled with frustration, softened somewhat as he suddenly realized who it was. Bree blinked, confusion clear on her features as she took in his hostile reaction. Edward swallowed hard, trying to weave together a coherent thought, not blinded by his frustration and silent rage.

“Um…….I don’t think I would make the best conversational partner right now….” He said, biting back the lump forming in his throat. He moved to push past her

She side stepped in front of him, and firm hand on his chest stopped him in his tracks. Her chin tipped upward, meeting him squarely in the eyes. Sometimes he found himself forgetting that he was much taller than her, just by the sheer determination in how she carried herself that made him feel small.

                “Ed…..what happened?”

                Her eyes were too scrutinizing, too searching as they moved across his face.

                Too _concerned_.

                He was terrified that if he stared in them for too long he would just break down with a full wave of emotion right in the middle of the precinct. She lightly grasped his arm and pulled him into a side hallway, out from the view of most of the precinct.

                “I figure this has something to do with those flowers in the trash doesn’t it….?”

                His eyes snapped up to hers, glowering slightly in silent confusion and anger.

                “How did you…..”

                She shook her head, half rolling her eyes.

                “—I have eyes….and your hand is bleeding.”

                His brows rose as he looked down at his palms, only now noticing the slight sting. Sure enough, there was a dark, brownish red smudge from his thumb, dotted with a few bright drops of blood from where the flower’s thorns had caught his skin when he snapped the bouquet. He half-scoffed, blinking away the angry tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

                “Well, aren’t you _clever_ ….” He muttered, his voice layered with a bit more condescension than he had intended. She shot him a sharp look, but said nothing.

“Those were for Kristen weren’t they….?”

His jaw clenched, pressing his lips into a tight line.

“…..yes,” he admitted very quietly, his head drooping at he stared at the ground.

“Oh……Ed….I’m sorry.”

He remained quiet but shook his head.

“I wanted to honor your wishes……and not talk about Miss Kringle around you…..I didn’t want to bother you.”

His breath was practically knocked from his chest as she suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. His arms hung limply by his sides for a moment in sheer surprise.

“To hell with it…..I don’t care what you talk about,” she said against the fabric of his suit. Her head rose slightly, her arms still around him.

“I just…..want my friend back.”

The frustration still ran stiffly through his limbs, but his rage dimmed to mere background noise as his arms closed around her. His eyes fluttered shut, his brows furrowed as he simply enjoyed her warm embrace. He resisted the urge to pull her back against him as she loosened her grasp and leaned away. She idly chewed at her lip, a habit he wasn’t so sure she was even aware of.

“Also…..there’s something I need to tell you.”

He said nothing, but offered a questioning look. She wrung her hands in front of her and shifted her weight to her other foot rather anxiously.

“I……I’m dating Harvey.”

He froze, chest tightening painfully as he fought to maintain a stolid expression.

“Oh?”

“Yeah….I just….thought you should know.”

The silent rage began to blossom once more in his gut, but he offered a tight-lipped smile.

“So……are we good?” she offered, peering up at him rather timidly. He wanted to shout that it was _not_ good. He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her and ask her why she would tell him that after he had so obviously been rejected by Kristen. But he didn’t.

“We’re good,” he said, suddenly pulling her forward into another hug.

“ _Oh_ …….okay….this is cool,” she chuckled against his jacket as his arms clasped around her again. His grip tightened around her. She opened her mouth to say something else, but seemed to decide against it and loosely grasped his jacket.

He hoped she didn’t notice his hands trembling in silent rage as he tucked his head over her shoulder.

 

 


	20. Chapter 20

                Bree struggled to fight the goofy smile that spread across her lips as Captain Essen handed her a small stack of papers.

                “Congratulations, Miss Taylor. I’m pleased to officially welcome you into the GCPD family,” Essen said, her tired expression softening somewhat with a smile as she shook Bree’s hand.

                “Thank you so much,” Bree said with a beaming smile, clutching the papers to her chest. The captain nodded, her eyes flickering across Bree’s excited features, likely musing about her naivety, but Bree paid no mind as she turned back towards her desk. She nearly skipped at the thought of having an actual nameplate on her desk.

                _Police administrative aide._

Sure, it wasn’t the most glamourous job. Really, it was much of the same sort of work she had done as in intern, but it at least had a livable pay. Not only that, but it gave her much needed experience in the behind the scenes aspects of police work. Even with her work towards her master’s degree, she still needed a good two years of full time work experience to even consider applying for the FBI. Despite it seeming like such a small step, she knew it was the beginning of the countdown until she had a decent shot at her dream job.

                As she made her way back to her desk, her gaze moved to the doorway of the forensics lab. Her mind drifted to the man who she so often occupied that space. She was glad that she had cleared things up with Edward. She hadn’t expected her time with Harvey to play out the way it did. The next day, when she woken up to the smell of coffee, and his arms wrapped around her middle as he muttered in her ear, telling her it was time to wake up. She couldn’t bring herself to turn him down when he asked if she wanted to be his girlfriend. She also couldn’t bring herself to regret the rather enthusiastic sex that followed.

                However, she had felt a deep twinge of guilt at Edward’s expression of hurt when she had told him. Especially considering how poor her timing had been by the looks of it. She couldn’t say she didn’t see Kristen’s rejection coming though. She _had_ warned him…..

And some spiteful part of her, in the far reaches of her mind, felt he got what he deserved for choosing to pursue someone who could not care less about him.

She shook her head as she slid into the rickety seat by her desk. Spite wouldn’t solve anything.

She opened the folder in front of her with a sigh.

…………………………

After a few hours of work, Bree realized that she had accumulated a sizable stack of files perched at the corner of her desk. She stood and stretched her limbs with a yawn. Reaching down, she grasped the files and made her way to the file annex. Part of her dreaded the inevitable interaction with Kristen. And yet……part of her felt a little guilty for the underlying animosity she felt towards the woman. It really wasn’t her fault that she didn’t like Edward in the way he wanted her to.

_That still doesn’t justify how she’s treated him._

She mused silently as she rounded the stairs into the winding hallway that lead to the annex. She reached for the handle, pushing into the frosted glass door with her hip.

As she pushed through the door, Kristen’s head rose, her hand stilling as she stopped writing. Bree offered a half-hearted smile as she met Kristen’s measured gaze.

“Can I help you?”

Bree looked down at the files with a nod, stepping closer to the desk.

“Oh, I just have a few files that need to be archived.”

Kristen nodded, rising to her feet as she extended her arm. Bree handed her the files, her eyes falling to Kristen’s wrist.

“Are….are you okay?” Bree said before she could catch herself, her gaze glued to the mottled pattern of blueish brown that decorated her wrist and forearms.

Kristen quickly snatched the files and looked down. Bree tried to meet her gaze, but Kristen adjusted her glasses and avoided meeting her eyes.

“I-It’s nothing…..” Kristen said, quickly shaking her head. Bree’s brows furrowed together.

“No….I’m serious. Are you alright? Did someone….do that to you?”

“It….it was an accident,” Kristen said with a stiff swallow, finally looking up.

Bree’s eyes flickered across her face.

“That’s….. _not_ alright.”

Bree’s lips pursed together as she slowly shook her head. Suddenly she felt a sort of anger bubbling inside her. Few things got her more fired up than violence of any kind against women.

“It’s…..not your concern….” Kristen said quietly, turning away from her. Bree was quiet for a moment, but didn’t move.

“Look…..I know we don’t know each other very well…..but if you need _anything_ ….I’m just a few floors up…”

Kristen paused, turning back towards her with a soft, barely noticeable smile.

“….thank you…..that’s very kind of you…”

Bree offered a small nod, her eyes involuntarily flickering back down to Kristen’s arm.

“Take care.”

She turned and made her way out of the annex.

……………………………..

                As she rounded the corner up the stairs and onto the main floor, a familiar figure caught her eye and she couldn’t help but to smile.

 She kept her head down and pretended not to notice him immediately as she continued towards the main staircase. He looked to be in a deep discussion with Detective….or _Officer_ Gordon. She wasn’t really sure what his official title was anymore, being as ballsy with authority as he was. As she glanced back up, her eyes met Harvey’s. A jovial smile stretched across his lips and Gordon curiously followed his gaze. Suddenly, she felt oddly scrutinized as she approached the pair with a sheepish smile.

Harvey turned and said something indecipherable to Gordon, who gave Bree another cursory glance before giving him a curt nod and turning to leave. Harvey turned towards her with a wide grin.

“Hey, Bree, how are you?” he said, lightly grasping her hand and pulling her forward. She felt her face flush slightly as he gave her a small peck on the cheek and tugged her into a hug. Bree gave a small laugh as she smiled against his suit.

“Ah, I’m doing pretty well. What brings you by? More work with Gordon I presume?” she asked, pulling away slightly. He looked away with a shrug.

“Yeah….we’re dealing with some pretty nasty stuff, unfortunately,” he met her eyes again.

“I’ll tell you all about it later, but for now we’re messing with some pretty powerful people….I gotta get back to work,” he said with a sigh. Bree nodded.

“Alright, just don’t do anything stupid,” she deadpanned, “Oh, and be safe, I guess,” she added with a wry grin and a small chuckle. He rolled his eyes, but squeezed her hand, leaning forward and giving a quick kiss before darting away.

Bree folded her arms across her chest as she watched him walk away. Behind her she could hear a low whistle. Furrowing her brows, she turned to see who the perpetrator had been, prepared to throw a snarky comment their way.

To her surprise she only saw Detective Bullock clutching a cup of coffee with a good natured grin. He slowly shook his head with a knowing look.

                “Now that’s a bit of a plot twist,” he remarked dryly.

                “What…..?” she said, blinking in confusion.

                “Oh, I just figured you and Nygma had a thing…..but that’s none of _my_ business,” he said with a chuckle, taking a gulp of coffee.

                She felt a hard tug in her chest and gave a frown.

                “No….it’s not,” she muttered, but he had already turned to wander off.

                The rest of her day passed quite uneventfully, but she certainly felt exhausted by the time she made it back to her apartment. The night was cold and the only thing keeping her moving was the thought of having a hot cup of tea and binge watching Netflix into the early hours of the morning.

                Relaxing in her favorite old pair of GCU sweatpants, she fixed herself a late dinner, and collapsed onto the couch. She flicked on the television as she began to pick through her impromptu stir-fry concoction. Her night progressed as predicted until she stood up from the couch and took a long stretch. She hummed softly to herself as she tossed the dirty dishes into her small sink. Suddenly, a noise causes her to freeze.

                There was a knock at the door.

                Her brows furrowed together as she looked at the front door.

                _At this time of night?_

                Hesitantly, she slowly moved towards the door, peering out through the peephole.

                “Edward?” she said quietly, immediately reaching for the sliding latches and unlocking the door. Before she even saw him her first question spewed out automatically.

“How did you get buzzed in?”

                She began, but her lighthearted demeanor immediately dissipated as she took him in.

                Something was _very_ wrong.

“I-I made a mistake,” Edward sputtered, his voice very quiet.

Her eyes flickered across his features, his lips pressed into a tight line, his hair disheveled and eyes red. His shirt, she noted, seemed to be spotted with some dark liquid. She gaped at him silently for a moment before meeting his distressed gaze.

“What do you need?”

She asked, the words were out before she could even process what she was saying. He was clearly in _distress_ , and the immediate desire to help him and hold him was overwhelming and automatic.

“ _You_.”

 

….


	21. Chapter 21

“This is _not_ what I thought you meant when you said you _needed_ me.”

Bree muttered breathlessly, sliding on her coat as she regarded Edward warily. She wasn’t exactly sure what she had expected when he had arrived at her doorstep, but after quickly pulling him inside, he immediately spilled the details of his night. It was not exactly the sort of confession she had expected.

“I…..I never wanted to kill him. I just wanted to stop him from hurting her….”

He was shaking, his eyes fixed on the floorboards.

She reached out, lightly placing her hands on either sides of his arms. He half-jumped, his dark eyes snapping to her.

“Hey….I need to you take a deep breath, okay?” she nodded in encouragement, attempting to conceal her own panic. His chest heaved with a shaky breath, his lips pressed together into a tight line.

“It’s going to be alright…..” she whispered, grabbing hold of his trembling hands.

He nodded minutely, his fingers slowly clasping around hers.

_What the hell am I saying? There is nothing alright about this…_

She once again bit down the panic rising in her chest as he pulled her forward, his arms wrapping around her form. She froze for a moment, slowly moving to embrace him back.

They grew silent for a long moment, the embrace seeming to last for ages before Bree pulled away ever so slightly. Her brows furrowed together as her eyes flickered across Ed’s face.

Edward’s expression grew blank, his eyes still tinged with red, but his tears had dried. Reality began to set in.

“Do you have any oxy based cleaning agents?” he asked.

 His voice sounded hollow.

She didn’t like that.

“Like….Oxyclean? I have some under the sink…..”

He nodded again.

“That should do the job…..”

“What do you mean……?” she asked softly, already guessing the answer in the back of her mind. A large part of her wanted to pretend there were any other alternatives.

“The evidence needs to be scrubbed away…..”

Her breath caught in her throat.

“ _Ed……”_

Edward’s hands gently grasped at the sides of her arms. Part of her felt like his grip was the only thing holding her up at this point.

“Bree…… _please_ …..I need your help,” the desperation in his voice struck a chord that made her only more uneasy.

“You’re implicating me in a murder,” her tone grew stern, and she met his gaze. He quickly shook his head.

“No……it doesn’t have to be like that….No body, no crime. If there’s no evidence, you can’t be implicated for anything.”

“Ed, I don’t think being an accessory for _murder_ looks good on an FBI application!”                          

“Do you _think_ I don’t _know_ that!” he snapped his voice sharp, his face contorting into a grimace. Bree’s eyes flickered down to his hands as his grip tightened almost painfully.

He swallowed hard.

“I-I _don’t_ want to have to do this…..but I’m out of options…..and you’re the only person I can trust…”

When Bree met his gaze once more, the desperation in his eyes was too much for her to handle. She opened her mouth tentatively, not trusting herself to form an unbroken reply, but the words flew out.

“Okay….. _okay_ ……I’ll help you…”

 

……………………

………….

The frigid night air stung against Bree’s wind-burnt cheeks as she clutched the bottle of Oxyclean to her chest. She huddled herself deeper into her coat with a shiver as a gust of wind swept across the empty street.

                “So, remember when I made that one joke about how if my best friend called me at 2am and said they killed someone, I would show up with a shovel and a can-do attitude?......” her breath floated in ghost-like wisps in the cold air.

“Yeah, well I meant that _figuratively,”_ she said with an anxious chuckle, leaning against the hood of Edward’s car. She looked back as he shut the car door and stopped beside her.

                “Where did you move the body, anyway….?” She said quietly, trailing behind Edward as he moved towards the crime scene. She struggled to keep up with his long strides.

                “He’s in the trunk.”

                “Wait…..like in the trunk…of the car we just took….?”

                Ed shot her a look with a raised brow, not slowing down.

                “No, the other one,” he half-scoffed, his voice oddly strained.

                “I really don’t need your sass right now.”

………………..

It didn’t take long to dump the cleaning liquid over the concrete. The sight of blood had never really bothered her, but seeing the near-black splatters across the pavement was unsettling.

It made it too real.

“The cleaning agent should break up the hemoglobin in the blood enough to make it inscrutable to the human eye…” he muttered, handing Bree the bucket and mop. He turned back towards the car.

“Where are you going?” she called back out to him.

He stopped, huffing in exasperation before he looked back at her with an exasperated whisper.

“ _To deal with the body.”_

She formed a soft “oh” and looked back to the pavement. Typically, she wouldn’t have just let him get all snappy without comment, but there was nothing remotely usual about that evening. It was becoming clear that he was having as much trouble as ( _likely much more_ than) her, processing the weight of his actions.

Murder, evidently, can make a person irritable.

After Bree finished dispersing the liquid, she made her way back towards the car. Her eyes darted around, making sure no curious passersby had seen anything. Not that there had been any to note. She sat, shivering on the hood of his car for some time, her arms wrapped tightly around herself before she conceded to weight inside.

She tossed the cleaning supplies in the back seat and waited anxiously. After a long few minutes….hours or minutes, she really wasn’t sure, she spotted a figure emerging from a nearby ally. She recognized the lanky form immediately by the large trash bag he drug with some difficulty behind him. She pushed open the door and hopped out, walking towards him.

Even in the dim glow of the street lamps she could see his lips pressed into a tight line, the shadows exaggerating his features dramatically. His head rose as she approached.

“I’ll need the oxyclean for the alley too….”

She nodded mutely as her dropped to the bag at his feet. He grunted as he dragged it closer to the vehicle. He released it with a huff, moving to pop the trunk open again. When he walked back to the bag he futilely attempted to lift it into the trunk and was about to set it back down when another set of hands joined his. His brows rose as he glanced at Bree, who hoisted the bulk of the bag into a large suitcase-like box in the trunk of the car. She scoffed at the baffled look he gave her.

“How….?”

She rolled her eyes, slamming the trunk shut.

 

“Do you even _lift_ , bruh?” she remarked, the corners of her lips lifting into a smirk.

His features fell blank, unamused. Bree pursed her lips, eyes narrowing slightly.

“….poor timing?”

“A bit.”

……………

……

….

 

The silence between them in the car grew nearly unbearable. Every now then, Bree caught herself glancing over at him, trying to ignore the dark splatters of blood staining his shirt. They pulled up in front of his apartment. Ed turned off the car, his eyes gaze dropping to his lap.

“So what’s the plan…..?” Bree asked softly, but in the dead silence she may as well have yelled. Ed’s throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.

“T-tomorrow I’ll take body into the lab and dissolve it in hydrochloric acid…..and I’ll take the time to destroy all the evidence….” Ed said quietly.

That dreaded silence fell once more.

“So what now?”

Edward’s head turned towards her, his dark eyes glinting softly in the light of the streetlamps.

“Tea?”

 She couldn’t help but offer a small smile.

“I could go for some tea right about now…..”

 _And maybe a few shots of whiskey._ She added silently.

The left the car and she followed Edward up the outside steps and down a hallway towards an elevator. When they reached the top floor, they walked down the hall until he slowed to a stop by his door. His hands fumbled through his pockets for a moment before he pulled out his keys. He struggled to get the key to slide into the lock.

His hands were shaking. He jumped ever so slightly as her hand rested atop his, steadying it. His head snapped up, their eyes meeting as the lock clicked open.

“Just breathe, Ed.”

He looked down at his feet with a small nod as he slid the door open.

He reached and flicked on the lights, letting her step inside before pushing the metal door shut behind him.

“So, where’s your kettle?”

“Bottom cabinet on the left…..”

Edward peeled off his coat, glancing down at his stained shirt with a frown.

“Eh….If you don’t mind….I may need to take a quick shower….to rinse off….”

He offered a rather forced smile.

“I’ll be back before the water’s boiled!” he added with a false cheerful note.

Bree nodded, turning away and walking toward the cabinet.

…………………..

……

She found herself nestled on his couch, her shoes haphazardly tossed beneath the coffee table, and her legs crossed on the cushions, a grey wool blanket draped over her lap.

                Despite the hot cup between her palms, she felt cold.

                In her peripheral she saw Edward emerge from the bathroom, fresh steam wafting out despite the water being turned off for a few minutes now. She glanced up as he mussed his hair with a towel.

                This was likely the most casual she had ever seen him. No tie. No glasses. Just in a sweater and sweats, looking far more boyish than a man who had taken another’s life.

                The silence was palpable.

                She stared down at her tea, her breathing sounding far too loud to her own ears. Her eyes met his as she lifted her head and caught him staring. He hung the towel on the inside of the door and reached for his glasses. He shut the door and quietly crossed the room. He came to a stop a few feet from the couch. When she met his eyes again, he blinked, his mouth opening for a moment, as if carefully considering his next words.

                “You know I…..I _never_ thought that…….I would _ever_ have a friend like you.”

                Bree tilted her head slightly, huffing a small laugh.

                “Well….. _neither_ did I….but mostly just for the murder part,” she shrugged with a small grin despite herself.

                _Dammit girl….you gotta stop with the murder jokes._ She scolded herself internally, taking a long sip of tea. In the corner of her eye she saw his figure move. The sofa shifted slightly as he settled beside her. She met his worried gaze and sighed, her head falling onto his shoulder. He stiffened for a moment before relaxing into the couch. His hand rested on her arm, his thumb tracing small circles across her skin.

                “What do I do?” he asked softly. She was quiet a moment, pursing her lips in contemplation.

                “Write a note…” she said.

                He offered her a questioning glance, his thumb stilling on her forearm. She continued.

                “I mean…..if we’re going to be honest here…..Dougherty seems like the kind of guy who would just take off….so maybe play that up?”

                She tilted her head so she met his gaze with wide eyes, her cheek still resting on his shoulder. His eyes flickered across her face before resting on her lips, his head tilting and face edging closer. His other hand rose and cupped her cheek.

She sat up, moving her face away from his, causing him to frown. She swallowed hard, shaking her head ever so slightly.

“ _Ed_ …..I….I can’t……I’m dating Harvey….” Her brows furrowed, watching the hand that had cupped her cheek slowly lower onto his lap, balling into a fist. The hand on her arm tightened its grip.

“You said you’d _be_ there…..” he said quietly, nearly a whisper.

“You _said_ that you’d be there for me….” He repeated with more confidence, his lips pressed together into a tight line. His eyes flickered with something she didn’t recognize in them.

“Ed, I don’t think I can get anymore _there for you_ than literally helping you dispose of a _goddamn_ body!” she snapped, setting her mug down and climbing to her feet. She tugged away from him and ran a hand through her messy locks. She swore under her breath, jaw clenched as she turned back towards him.

“So what? Was I just supposed to _wait_ for you?”

He half scoffed, looking away from her for a moment.

“….. _yes_!” He snapped, setting climbing to his feet.

“ _No_ …..no, that isn’t _fair_ Ed. I put myself out on a limb for you and you _chose_ somebody else!” her voice rose sharply as the words she’d been wanting to say for so long came tumbling out…..and yet….she found herself backing away, not so sure of herself anymore.

What happened to her being the _brave_ one?

As she stepped back, he stepped forward. She half-jumped as her heals hit the wall.

“I don’t care about what’s _fair_ anymore!” His arms shot out on either side of her head on the wall behind her. “Nothing has ever been _fair_ for _me_ , so why should it be for anyone, huh?”

His tone was bitter….sharp…..nothing like the cheerful Edward she had come to know.

 “No….” he slowly shook his head, his voice trembling. He grasped her arms and pulled her back towards him, his grip firm, but not painfully tight.

“I’m not going to let him have you. _Bree,_ ” he breathed, his hair falling in messy locks across his forehead. His jaw clenched and she stiffened, eyes searching his face.

 She really did not know what this man before her could do. Something wrenched deep within her gut. Fear? Maybe a little….and something else…

“He doesn’t know you like I do. He never could….and _I_ needyou…..”

His hand rose, pushing a loose lock of hair behind her ear, his fingers trailing down her neck.

_“My Brianna.”_

It was barely a whisper as he tilted his head and placed a lingering kiss on her collarbone, drifting downward on bare skin until the neckline of her blouse. His grip on her arms loosened.

His lips trailing over her shirt and down her front, his hands gliding over the contours of her ribs and to her waist. He pulled her tightly against him, his face pressed to her abdomen as he slid down to his knees.

She nearly forgot to breathe as Edward closed his eyes, deeply inhaling her scent. She couldn’t hide the deep flush on her face, her hands dangled idly, not sure how to react to this man clinging to her for dear life.

Slowly, her hand dropped onto his head, fingers brushing gently through his still slightly damp hair.

“Ed…..” she breathed, her other hand trailing across his shoulders. She swallowed stiffly, her heart pounding in her head.

                “You’re too important to me to lose….”

                His head rose, meeting her gaze without relinquishing his grip on her.

_“But I can’t kiss you…..”_

He gently grasped her arm and ghosted his lips over her wrist.

“….then you don’t need to kiss me…”

“No…..Edward, we can’t touch in any way _friends_ wouldn’t…”

“Then _show_ me…..”

…..

…

_This must be what Purgatory feels like._

Bree thought idly as her cheek pressed against the cool fabric of his pillows.

_Dancing the line between right and wrong. Hot and cold._

She laid in bed with the man she knew had feelings for her, and vice versa, and yet….they played by the _rules_. The rules she laid for him about what she considered too much for friendship.

_They rested somewhere in between._

Rules that he respected….but learned to exploit with a scary amount of ease.

It didn’t help that she cared for him. Everything meant more through that lens.

  _A touch is never just a touch with Edward._

His hands on her waist felt _very_ friendly….

_But friends comfort each other when their upset….right?_

Her justifications played on repeat in her mind as she let herself nestle into the warmth of the covers, even if it was only hours till the morning.

_Friends can cuddle, right?_

“You’re going to keep going after Kristen…..” Bree said quietly into the dark apartment, the green glow of the lights outside casting menacing shadows. It was statement, not a question. He didn’t reply at first, but his lips brushed against her neck, resting by her ear.

“Well, you and I _are_ just friends, aren’t we?” he said, smiling against her skin. He didn’t even sound the same as the Ed she’d grown to know. She involuntarily shivered as his cool fingertips ghosted her neck, and moved to gently stroke her hair. He gave a breathy chuckle.

_Friends. Friends. Friends._

The word seemed to have lost any clear-cut meaning to her as his arms wrapped around her middle, clutching her close against his lithe form as he tugged the blanket higher around them.

“I suppose so…..”

“Then I _suppose_ time will tell…” he said in a whisper, pecking her cheek before nestling into his pillow.

Bree closed her eyes, trying to find peace in the blackness, but the events of the day kept replaying in her mind. Over and over again….

_What have I done?_

 

…..

….

…..


	22. Chapter 22

**This chapter goes out to the readers that made it happen.**

**….**                                                                                                   

There was no going back this time.

Edward took Bree back to her place in the early morning, the silence hanging thick between them.

As he parked in front of her building she stared down at her hands folded in her lap. He exhaled a sigh from beside her, his hand carefully clasping atop hers. Her head rose, meeting his eyes as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. She forced a soft smile as she grabbed her coat and climbed out of the car.

_Everything is fine._

                He watched her climb up the steps to her apartment, disappearing behind the worn wooden door.

                He fought to keep his hands from trembling as they gripped the steering wheel.

….

….

                Despite the fact he’d never admit it, there was a sick sort of pleasure in comforting Kristen about Tom’s “running away” whilst darting back and forth from the lab to dispose of his remains.

                “This is sick….and wrong….” He muttered to himself as he drug the bones from the acidic solution beneath the fume hood.

                _But you don’t regret it._

A voice in the back of his head crooned. He swallowed hard, adjusting his goggles.

                He destroyed all of the evidence. There was no possible way to connect him to the crime…. _or Bree for that matter_.

                He added mentally with a pang of guilt. He really shouldn’t have implicated her in any of it….but he didn’t really regret it either. The emotional turmoil alone proved to already be enough to drive him half-insane…..he wasn’t sure what he would have done if she wasn’t there beside him…

He and Bree shared a few cursory glances throughout the day, as if trying to pretend the previous night hadn’t happened.

But that was impossible.

The bloodstains left on her blouse from when he had hugged her the previous night attested to that.

As he stepped outside the lab, he looked out over the balcony overlooking the main precinct. His eyes rested on one figure with a frown. Bree’s stood smiling beside Harvey Dent, his hand lingering on her arm.

Edward didn’t bother concealing the scowl tugging at his lips.

_Maybe we should get rid of him while we’re at it._

Again, that darker voice chimed in. The worst part was that he couldn’t bring himself to disagree…

“That would hurt her….” He said quietly, turning away from the balcony.

_She would forgive you eventually._

Edward’s jaw clenched, stealing another glance at the couple below.

“That wouldn’t make it right…” he muttered once more, shaking his head and dismissing the dark thoughts looming in his head.

_What’s right is having her arms wrapped around us…..those adoring eyes looking up at us and no one else._

He swallowed hard, ignoring the smooth voice.

_Or maybe we should make it so we’re all she that has…._

Edward shook his head, his knuckles white as he clutched the stack of files in his grasp.

Weeks past with seemingly no hitch….. _well_ ….aside from Gotham as a city slowly descending into a gang turf war. No hitch in the sense that attention was in no way directed towards him, nor the absent Officer Dougherty.

However, that changed quite abruptly as he stood in the file annex. His eyes were downcast, examining the wood blankly with a frown, his hand resting on the file cabinet. He barely registered the figure approaching him in the corner of his eye.

“Mr. Nygma….” A familiar feminine voice broke his trance.

He half-jumped as his eyes snapped towards the figure, his hand drumming softly on the cabinet.

“Miss Kringle…” he remarked stiffly, his gaze shooting back down and pretending to intensely examine the files. He didn’t like the tone of her voice….something was wrong, and he sensed he was in trouble.

“I just….noticed something really weird,” she began, sounding wary.

“Oh…?” he offered with his best feigned curiosity.

“This note Officer Daugherty left for me…” she said unfolding the letter, “The first letter of every line spells your name…”

He grimaced, fighting the panic rising in his chest as he attempted to maintain his composure. Kristen’s lips pursed together as she held the paper towards him.

“Yah see?.....N…..y…g…m…a.”

His eyes drifted to her as she stared at the paper. He knew this was bad news….but hearing the solution to his puzzle coming from her lips made him simply want to kiss them more. He forced his lips out of the grimace and quirked a forced smile.

“Yes…..that…. _that_ —how _odd_ ,” he said, his jaw clenching as he pretended to examine the letter with more scrutiny.

“W-what an amazing coincidence.”

Kristen’s brows furrowed.

“ _Coincidence_?” she repeated, disbelief thickly evident in her tone.

Ed shrugged with a stiff smile.

“What else could it be?”

A tense silence fell between the two as she narrowed her eyes, staring at him with a sharp gaze.

“So, you had nothing to do with this….?”

“I…no!” he sputtered out a bit too quickly.

She offered another lingering glare and he turned away slightly.

“ _Nooo.”_

“Huh….” She said, her brows still furrowed deeply as she nodded. She gave one last sharp look as she turned away, strutting towards the door with frustration evident in her gait.

Ed watched as she left the room, his forced smile still plastered upon his lips. He swallowed hard as the door clicked shut.

Suddenly, a bout of laughter erupted from his lips.

_“You’re the guy who likes riddles”_

Dougherty’s words echoed in the back of his mind.

“Stop laughing—you fool, it’s not _funny_ ,” he looked down at his hands with a frown.

“ _What a creep.”_

The words were seared in his brain.

“She’ll keep digging….” He thought aloud in mild panic. He slammed his hands down on the metal drawer of the file cabinet.

“ _Why_ did you have to leave a clue! _Why_?” he spat in frustration. His heart thumped painfully loud in his head. And yet….for a brief moment, he felt calm again as that darker shadow in the corners of his mind drifted closer to the surface.

“Relax….what can she find?……What can she prove?” he gestured, his hands facing upward atop the cabinet, “Nothing! There’s no body—stop worrying!” he reassured himself, his hair falling in thick, dark strands across his face as he turned his head towards the door.

“But she looked so sad and angry…I hate it when she looks at me that way…”

_“Menacing and weird.”_

The words she had chosen repeated in his head over and over again.

“ _Please_ —like it matters! Like you stand a _chance_ with her. She knows how you feel about her and she _still_ treats you like dirt!” the darker thoughts once locked in the depths of his brain reared to the surface in a sudden wave of anger and frustration.

He sighed in exasperation.

“I don’t care….I still love her…”

 _“Do you even know her? Or do you just like the idea of her?”_ Bree’s words flitted across his mind.

“Ugh! _Listen_ to yourself. Be a _man_!” he shouted, slamming the drawer closed.

 _“You’d do better with that one if she’s a little scared of you,”_ that darker voice continued.

The words left his lips, but they weren’t _his_ …….were they? Perhaps they were what he had been thinking the entire time but was too scared to admit to himself.

“—shut up.” He said, trying to stop the train of thought.

“Just keepin it _real,”_ he laughed, slamming the drawer shut again.

 _“Stop!”_ he took off his glasses, running a hand through his now messy hair.

_“I wouldn’t quite your day-job if I were you.”_

_“What’s black and white and read all over?”_ he muttered under his breath.

_“He is so weird….”_

Laughter burst from his lips once more as he fought off the cocktail of emotions coursing through his body. He wanted the thoughts to _stop._ Suddenly, he grimaced, his hands balling into fists. He stood in silence, his chest heaving and mind racing.

He hardly registered the sound of the door opening.

“….Edward?”

The familiar, concerned voice caused him to freeze.

“Ed…..are you alright?”

Silence fell thickly between them for a long moment as Edward lifted his head and attempted to form a tight smile. He half-nodded….but his features quickly fell and his lips pressed together into a tight line as he quickly shook his head.

“ _No_ …..” his voice cracked, his mouth falling agape. He couldn’t form any other words. He didn’t need to.

Bree’s concerned eyes flickered across his face and before he could register what was happening, she had stepped forward and her arms wrapped around him, her face burying in the fabric of his suit. He immediately pulled her closer, resting one arm across her shoulders and the other slid down to the small of her back. He grasped her tightly, fighting the sob that wracked through his chest.

“Ed….if you need to talk….”

He shook his head, his heart leaping for a small moment as all noise in his head suddenly grew silent.

_Oh, that is gold. What happened to ‘Oh, but I love Miss Kringle?_

That damned voice echoed in his head.

_‘But Bree is different….’_

He internally replied.

_You want Miss Kringle but you need Bree…._

The voice taunted him silently as he felt Bree’s fingers toy with the fabric of his jacket.

_‘Why can’t I have both…?’_

_Because that’s not how it works, genius._

He tilted his head and pressed a light kiss to Bree’s temple, his lips ghosting across her hairline.

He wished his mind could be silent so he could simply enjoy holding her.

_Hell, why not just have her against the file cabinets right now?_

His breath caught in his throat and his face flushed at the thought. He silently preyed she didn’t notice the blood rushing to the lower half of his body…

_‘Because that would be wrong….’_

He could hear the laughter in his head.

‘ _And she deserves better than that…’_

_Well, don’t let her go. She’ll only run back to her little boyfriend._

“ _Quiet_ …” he muttered into her hair.

“Sorry, what?” Bree said, stiffening within his embrace.

“It’s nothing….” He said softly, his hands gently rubbing circles on her back as he pressed her closer against him, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

All he wanted was something to hold onto—someone to hold onto.

A friend.

A confidant.

 A _lover_.

He wanted a _relationship_.

Preferably, not involving murder, nor ending in heartbreak…..

But in Gotham it seems like it always does….

And maybe it always will.

But who _knew_?

Either way….it was a question he really didn’t need answered right in that moment.

………………….

……………..

…………..

……

**And that’s it, guys; the end of the first installment of the Bree and Edward saga. I got weirdly emotional writing this, which I wasn’t really expecting. But thank you to all of you wonderful readers and reviewers and please let me know what you think! Keep an eye out for the sequel coming up probably post-season 2 airing. Check out my Bree tumblr for updates and teasers of what’s to come. I’m also a huge nerd so I may do some illustrations for my favorite twisted crime-solving/committing pair, so there is that. Until then, let me know what you want to possibly see happen in the next season with these two!**


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